


The Sealing of Gensokyo

by UltraElectroMagnetic



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: 19th Century, Battle, Gen, Guns, Historical, Historical Fantasy, Imperial Japanese Army, Japan, Original Character(s), POV Third Person Limited, Swords, War, Weapons, Youkai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 08:27:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5960791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UltraElectroMagnetic/pseuds/UltraElectroMagnetic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>1884, the 17th year of the Meiji Restoration. The Empire of Japan is at the height of its industrialization and modernization effort. The Valley of Gensokyo, last refuge of the endangered Youkai, is discovered by Imperial Youkai Hunters. The Youkai are declared unfit to exist in the new era, and the Meiji Government mobilizes the Imperial Japanese Army for a final war of extermination. With nowhere left to run, Gensokyo braces for the darkest winter in its history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Manually imported from FanFiction.net. I started writing this in 2013 and progress slowed to a grind when I entered university. 
> 
> I realize that some of the first chapters might have some words spelled in British English, then in later chapters it switches to American English. That's an error on my part. At some point, I reformatted my PC and decided to use English (Philippines) in MS Word, which is the same as American English. Never bothered to change the old chapters. My apologies for the inconsistencies.
> 
> The first chapter was uploaded to FF.net in April of 2013. I still update from time to time, and I will finish this work eventually.
> 
> I made a playlist of Touhou folk/orchestral arrangements that I listen to while writing this. At the beginning of some chapters, there will be links to the different tracks from said playlist. Might be distracting to listen while reading, but I find that they help set the mood of the chapter, and help me imagine the scene.

31 October, 1884, 17th Year of Meiji, Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office Headquarters, Tokyo.

"Colonel Fukazawa," one of the Imperial Guards called. Colonel Saito Fukazawa stood up from his bench in the park outside the headquarters, and walked toward the door to General Yamagata's building. Yamagata was one of the founders of the Imperial Japanese Army, and he was the current Chief of the Army General Staff.

The white headquarters was surrounded by grass parks with pathways where Imperial Guards made their rounds. There were many officers in and around the office as usual.

Saito, followed by a young officer, followed the Imperial Guard into the headquarters, where they removed their hats, and sat in another waiting bench. Saito was thirty-four years old. He had black hair and brown eyes, a clean-shaved upper lip and a small beard on his chin. The younger, brown-haired officer reached into his bag and brought out a book to read. Saito was just looking around the large room, thinking.

As far as records were concerned, Colonel Saito and his organization were non-existent, and so was the Shogunate-controlled counterpart that Saito's organization was based upon. Saito was the leader of the Teikoku-Youkai-Kujotai, the 'Imperial Youkai Extermination Corps,' whose objectives are to cleanse Japan of its Youkai, supernatural beings, whether they are ghosts, beasts, demons, or the like. Saito is the commander of this corps, though to call it a corps is lunacy, as the Kujotai were only fifty men, 12 officers and the rest enlisted men, spread throughout all arms of the Imperial Japanese Military, not even enough to be called a company.

Saito was a veteran of the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion. In the Boshin War, he served as a junior officer fighting for the Imperial Forces to overthrow the Shogunate. It was during the Fall of Edo where he discovered the only records of the Tokugawa Shogunate's Youkai Extermination Squads; hundreds, and sometimes thousands of soldiers were deployed to hunt Youkai all over the Japanese islands.

He was only a lieutenant of eighteen years then. Saito thought it was all madness; a power-trip of a shogunate that had ruled for too long and gone insane. Saigo Takamori, the general who led the Imperial forces that captured Edo, the city that was renamed Tokyo soon afterwards, thought otherwise when he was presented with the documents. Takamori established the Kujotai afterwards, with himself as the commander, to finish the work that the Shogunate started. Saito, however, would not be a part of the secret organization until after the Satsuma rebellion.

During this rebellion, Takamori rose up against the Imperial Forces. When Takamori was defeated and committed suicide, General Yamagata offered twenty-seven year old Saito a promotion to Colonel and command of the Kujotai. To be part of the Kujotai, a soldier must voluntarily accept an offer to join, as to be part of the Kujotai is to be erased from existence; from the moment you are accepted, your life will be dedicated to Youkai extermination, until death of all Youkai, or yourself, not something to be taken lightly.

By the time Saito assumed command, however, the Kujotai was a shadow of its former self, and perhaps an embarrassment to the Shogunate organization it was based upon. By the 19th century, Youkai rarely ever threatened the domain of humans. Humans were becoming more and more dangerous, and by Saito's time, even strange sightings were rare.

But Saito had something that would explain all of that. The Youkai were still alive, still numerous, and still dangerous. Saito just didn't know where to look, until now.

The Imperial Guard called Saito again, so he stood up and fixed his uniform. The young officer was still sitting down, reading his book. He looked so absorbed by it, and Saito couldn't just nudge him out of it.

"Lieutenant Morichika," Saito called to him, spurring the young man up to his feet.

"Yes, sir, sorry sir," he replied, putting the book back into the bag.

"General Yamagata has many things to do. We mustn't keep him waiting," Saito told the lieutenant.

The Guardsman led the two up the stairs and through the hallway to the office of General Yamagata. The Imperial Guardsman opened the door to let Colonel Saito and Lieutenant Morichika inside.

General Yamagata was seated on his desk. Saito deduced that by the look of his desk, he had cleared it to make room, knowing Saito would bring various maps and documents like he always did.

"Ahh, Colonel Saito Fukuzawa," the general addressed, "and who is your subordinate?"

"Lieutenant Hayato Morichika, general, sir," the lieutenant replied before bowing.

"Good to meet you, Lieutenant Morichika. Please, sit, the both of you," the general offered. Saito and Hayato both sat down opposite each other, across Yamagata's table.

"I believe you already know why we are here, general," Saito started.

"Of course," replied Yamagata, "You need soldiers for an action against Youkai. It's been a while since your last request, Saito, but since the success of that last raid, I'll gladly supply you with some soldiers."

"Thank you, general," said Saito, "We will need two infantry regiments; three, if you are able, plus some cavalry, and five batteries of artillery as well."

"Two regiments?!" Yamagata coughed, seeming a little angry, "You've never asked for that many before, Saito, and as of late, the Youkai numbers have been diminishing. What threat could possibly convince me to derail two entire regiments and their horse and artillery batteries from their stations? That's over 4000 men, Saito."

"I'm sorry, general. I should have informed you of the threat more. I was hoping to save time by saving you from the details. Lieutenant, bring out the maps please."

"Hmph," Yamagata said, "for a moment I was hoping that this was a sick joke. I could have forgiven you then, but now that I know you're serious, what is the threat?"

"Youkai appearances and attacks have been dwindling over the centuries, especially so these past few decades." Saito paused a moment.

"This is because Youkai were originally substantiated by the superstitious beliefs and fears of ancient humans, something that is rare in the world today. Youkai are very powerful, without a doubt, but as of late, all the new world has taught us has caused superstition to fade away. Without fear to fuel them, they have less incentive to attack. With our technological advancement and new weapons, we have become as much a threat to them as they are to us."

"Youkai have no more place in our new world, and they have been slipping away."

Yamagata touched his moustache, "To where?" he asked.

"Good question, general. They aren't slipping out of existence; they are slipping away to a hiding place. All of them are massing in one place, and that's what makes it so dangerous."

Hayato spread on the desk a map Honshu, the main island of Japan. The entirety of the Yatsugatake mountain range was encircled in red.

"You may not believe this, general, but I will say it anyway," Saito continued, "That area encircled is not what we think it is. Do you know the legend of Mount Yatsugatake?"

Yamagata nodded and answered, "Yes. Mount Yatsugatake was once taller than Mount Fuji, but Konohana-Sakuyahime, goddess of Mount Fuji, was jealous of Yatsugatake, so she struck it down, creating the range of smaller mountains we call the Yatsugatake Mountains."

"Correct, general," Saito told him, "but that isn't true at all. The Yatsugatake Mountains are not really there. Mount Yatsugatake still stands."

"What do you mean?"

"The Shogunate's Youkai Extermination forces had their own record of the place. Sometime before the Boshin War, while sweeping the area around the mountains for Youkai, they stumbled upon a village called Mayoiga. It was thought at first that the soldiers were having hallucinations of the mountains changing shapes and sizes, but it was then discovered that Mayoiga was directly on a magical field dome. When they delved deeper, they found that the entire Yatsugatake range was an illusion, and when you walked through the veil, you could see the true area:

"Instead of a mountain range, it was a valley; only the mountains on the edges were real. The Shogunate soldiers describe the area having wide grass fields and some hills in the area directly beyond Mayoiga. Beyond that were large forests, and in the middle, dominating the valley was Mount Yatsugatake itself."

"So, the Youkai were hiding there?" said General Yamagata, "Why didn't the Shogunate annihilate them?"

Saito shook his head, "They were assembling a force large enough to deal with all the Youkai inside, but then the Battle of Toba-Fushimi happened, and all armed forces of the Shogunate were set to battling us Imperials instead."

"And it is that easy to enter the valley?"

"Entering the valley is the easy part. Before that, however, we have to find Mayoiga, the only known entrance. I'm certain some people in Nagano or Yamanashi would know it. I intend to go there in advance with some of the Kujotai and find the village, and then move into the valley with all our forces and destroy the Youkai inside."

"How many Youkai are you expecting, Colonel?" Yamagata asked.

"The Shogunate's records say that it is possible that large numbers of Oni, Tengu, and Kappa are living in, around, and on the mountain, and that they are a united civilization. Other than that, more feral Youkai, estimated to be in the thousands, are all around the valley. The organized and more advanced Youkai living on the mountain will be the greatest threat. Youkai are not without technology and magic to fight with, especially the more intelligent forms. I am confident in our ability to systematically destroy the other Youkai around the mountain with relative ease."

"Are there humans in that valley?"

"Most likely, and they will probably help us."

"And you expect me to believe all of this?"

"I know you do, general. You saw the Oni we killed several years ago, and don't forget the blasted Nue that killed two of your guards before we put it down. And who could forget the Funa-yurei that almost sunk my ship? The Satori we executed? You know they're real, general.

After looking over the maps and talking about plans for battle for another few minutes, Yamagata said to the two, "I'm afraid it would be too difficult to keep this operation clandestine, Saito. Two whole regiments moving to that area during peacetime? It's too suspicious. I can't do it."

"General, please. These are most likely the last Youkai in existence. If we could just—"

"No, Saito. If the Youkai are running and hiding from us, then we have already won. Let them rot there for the rest of eternity. This operation is too big a risk to the army and the government. It's impossible to hide or cover up the troop movements and potential casualties. I'll admit, that's quite close to the capital, but it isn't worth the risk."

Saito put his head down for a moment. How could Yamagata decline him now, after believing in him for the past few years?

Just then, a knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," Yamagata said. An Imperial Guard Officer walked into the room and saluted the general before walking over to the desk. Hayato rolled the map to cover it from the officer's eyes. After giving the letter, the officer quickly exited the room.

"What is it, general?" Saito asked as he opened and read the letter.

"The gods seem to believe in your mission, Colonel Saito," Yamagata told him as he shook his head.

"General, sir?" Saito asked again.

"There's a massive peasant uprising. There are thousands of them, and they have guns, swords, and other weapons. They're making short work of the police forces in that area. I'll need to send army troops into the area soon."

Now Saito knew what the general meant earlier. He smiled, and asked, "Where is this 'area,' exactly, general?"

"Chichibu, in the Saitama Prefecture."

Saito managed a short laugh. "There's your cover-up, general. Chichibu is very close to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains. Naturally, as we destroy the uprising, they'll be pushed to the foot of the mountains, where we can begin our search."

"Alright, then," Yamagata told the two, "I approve of your operation, and giving you full command of two regiments, and additionally, all their horse, and their artillery batteries for it."

"Thank you, general. We will not fail you," Saito told him as he and Hayato stood up.

"Before you go," the general said to them, "I must remind you that before you go searching for that entrance, your priority is to destroy this rebellion. The army puts threats to the sovereignty before hunting down demons."

"Of course, General Yamagata; you know me well enough. I've never failed Japan before, and I don't intend to fail it now."

"This valley, Saito," the general said to him, "does it have a name?"

Saito turned to Hayato, and said, "It has one, but it seems to have slipped from my tongue."

Hayato took out a notebook from his bag, and started flipping pages, until he came across a page somewhere in the middle. He looked at the general and said, "It's here."

"What's it called?"

"Gensokyo."


	2. Mayoiga

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/qskeFIxqM2E

1 November, 1884, the mountain village of Mayoiga.

Of the many passages into Gensokyo, the ancient Mayohiga pass, now called Mayoiga in modern language, was the easiest passage into Gensokyo, and the only passage available to humans. That did not make the pass any less treacherous, however. The pass was a winding mountain road that led travellers from the edges of the Chichibu area at the foot of the mountains, up and around the steep mountains, eventually descending into the Gensokyo valley.

The village itself lay at a plateau somewhere in the middle of the mountain pass, and the mountain road passed through the village. Mayoiga was in a dominating position overlooking large portions of both the road going to Chichibu and the road going to Gensokyo. It was easily defensible from either side.

Keine Kamishirasawa woke up to the cold winter morning air, the sound of mountain birds singing outside, and the shouts of children playing in the snow. The lodging of the tavern wasn't that bad for an isolated mountain village. She was able to keep warm and have a good night's sleep; that's what mattered.

Keine combed her hair; she had silver hair with blue highlights, and brown eyes. She appeared young enough; she looked around twenty years old, but Keine was certain she was several years older than that. She washed her face and put on a casual blue European-styled dress, and wore a wool coat over it for the cold.

She left her room and had a small breakfast before leaving the tavern. The roofs of the village buildings were all white with snow, and much of the ground was blanketed in it; only the mountain road was swept clean. Around her, villagers were mostly attending to their own daily activities. She spotted the village elder outside his home, talking to two strange men in long coats. One of the men looked middle-aged, had a samurai ponytail in his black hair, and a sheathed katana; the other was younger and had short brown hair, with an old rifle slung over his shoulder.

Keine could hear their conversation.

"Last word is that the Imperial Army is moving two regiments from the Tokyo area to crush the revolution," the older man said to the elder.

The elder was surprised by his report, and replied, "Do you have enough weapons to fight two army regiments? How will you combat their artillery?"

The younger man spoke up, "We will use ambushes and lure them into traps. We know the land better than they do."

Keine started walking to the three.

"We have more swordsmen than they do. If they get too close, we can cut them down! Saigo Takamori's Samurai killed many Imperial soldiers at Shiroyama before they were killed." said the older man to the elder.

Keine was close now, and she interrupted,

"The Imperial Army has improved greatly since Shiroyama, I can assure you that: new guns, and close-quarters training among other things. What's all this about?"

"Ahh, Keine," the elder greeted her, "good of you to come to Mayoiga. I trust you had a good night's rest after your trek from Gensokyo?"

"Better than I expected, actually," replied Keine, "I haven't been needed here for a while. What's the urgency?"

"Has word reached you of the uprising in Chichibu?" asked the elder.

"There's an uprising? Who is rising?"

"The peasants, Keine; the common people are rising up against the Imperials," answered the elder.

"And Mayoiga is threatened by the uprising?"

The younger man, with the rifle, turned to Keine and said,

"The Imperial Army is marching on Chichibu, and doubtless some of us will want a refuge to fall back to."

"You make a good choice for a fall back point," Keine said to the man, "Mayoiga is difficult to find and easy to defend, but whether you are allowed to occupy it for your revolution is not up to me."

Keine looked at the young man's rifle, and asked,

"What model is that rifle?"

He unslung his rifle and showed it to her, saying,

"This is a Snider. It's breech-loaded, and it shoots a big bullet, and I've been practicing with it. I can fire six rounds in a minute. Those Imperial soldiers better watch out."

"The Imperial soldiers have new Murata rifles and they can fire their rifles ten or more times in a minute. Are you a good shot?"

"I like to think so."

"Well, I hope you think right. Now, about the village…"

"Your elder has already agreed to join in our struggle. But we need your help, Miss Keine."

"My help?" Keine asked.

"Yes," replied the other man with the katana, "We know where the mountain road leads after passing through Mayoiga, and we have heard of your abilities. We ask for your assistance in the coming revolution."

"They know about your role in Gensokyo's human village," the elder told Keine, "and they want your support in the uprising."

"History eating?" she asked, "What will you use my abilities for?"

"To hide refuges from the Imperials, to orchestrate ambushes, to create dissent in their ranks, and to lead them into traps; with your abilities, all of that is possible with little effort."

"Little effort on your part, perhaps, but what I do requires much focus and effort. The Imperial Japanese Army is a force to be reckoned with, even now. I can only be at one place at one point in time. The Imperial Army has thousands of soldiers. If you want my counsel instead, I can offer you some: stand down, scatter, and hide. There is no way you can win this."

"Have you no faith in the revolution? Do you not believe that the rest of Japan's people will rise with us?!"

"I'm just being critical, friend," she replied, "all I see is an isolated rebellion that will soon be crushed by better armed, better trained, and more numerous soldiers of the military. I pray the Imperial Forces never find Mayoiga, for your sake. Good morning to you, friends."

Keine began to walk away when the revolutionary with the sword called out to her,

"You mockingly call us friend as you walk away and leave us to our doom!"

She turned around and nodded her head, smiling.

"You do not know everything about what lies beyond the Mayoiga pass. I am sworn to defend Gensokyo's human village. I am sworn to defend my fellow humans. I call you 'friend' because in my eyes, all humans are friends, as opposed to other things."

Keine turned again and walked back to the tavern. She ordered tea from the tavern-keeper, and when she got it, she took a small sip and started thinking. A peasant revolution in Chichibu? And how did these revolutionaries convince the elder to join their cause. Was he threatened by the revolutionaries? Does he hate the Imperial forces? What's in it for Mayoiga?

Keine took a longer sip of her tea. She was pondering on the possibilities. The best case scenario was that when the rebels were defeated, they would just surrender and not fall back to Mayoiga. The worst case was that the Imperial forces push all the way to Mayoiga and burn it to the ground. The thought scared her, and what scared her even more was another question looming in her head:

What would happen if the Army becomes curious and sends a force down the Gensokyo road? What would they do when they find Gensokyo? Once the valley of Gensokyo comes into view, it looks nothing like the image of the Yatsugatake mountain range that it presents on the other side of the pass.

What would happen to the human village there, and how would they react to the… other things in the valley?

Keine stopped asking herself these questions, and remembered she had to focus on the present. She finished her tea and picked up her bags as she left the tavern. Mayoiga was becoming even busier. Men were scrambling here and there bringing wood and other materials around. Some were even carrying guns, bows and arrows, swords, and spears.

The village elder was standing by the edge of Mayoiga, leaning on a stone wall that protected villagers from falling down the mountainside. From there, he viewed the Chichibu side of the mountain road. Keine stood beside him and examined the road; it was mostly open, and any army would have a difficult time ascending to reach the village with arrows and gun-fire pelted the road from where she was standing.

"I do hope they will not come here," the elder said, "I do not want war, but I want to help these suffering lowland farmers."

"The Imperial Army will crush this rebellion," Keine replied, "and since you are allied with them, they may flee here en masse. You know that if they do, they Imperials will easily be able to follow them and find the village."

The elder shook his head and said to Keine, "If it comes to that, the rebels will give the Imperials a beating; this pass is impenetrable while Mayoiga is used to the defenders advantage."

"The last time Mayoiga needed to defend itself, it was facing men armed with swords, spears, and arrows. It was impregnable. Now, Mayoiga's enemies will have rifles and cannons. The boy earlier was holding an old rifle from the Boshin War. If that's how the rest of the rebels are armed, though I'm assuming they're armed with worse, they don't stand a chance."

"We'll be able to use the higher ground to negate the advantages of the Imperial troops."

"They have cannons. You don't. They have new bolt-action rifles. I doubt the revolutionaries will even be able to get out of hiding to fire back."

"And yet they fight nonetheless, Keine."

"They will die, nonetheless I suppose. I wish you the best, then. You're the village elder; you know what 's best for your village."

"We will be safe, Keine. The village will hold."

"I hope it does. I'd best return to Gensokyo."

"Safe journeys to you, Keine; I'm sorry for dragging you up to Mayoiga. I should have known your duty to the human village was paramount."

"That's quite alright. Goodbye."

Keine walked away from the wall and back into the village. Kids were playing, throwing snow at each other, while women gossiped, some men worked, while others were preparing for a battle. A number of these men were going down the Chichibu road, led by the older revolutionary. Most of them will probably never go up the road again.

Keine was walking in the opposite direction of these men. Her path was the Gensokyo road, which led to her village.

"Wait! Miss!" called a child's voice.

Keine looked to the source of the voice to see two young boys running to her.

"We heard what they were talking about!" said one.

"I heard them talk about a war!" said the other.

"I heard you say something about beyond the pass! What's beyond the pass?" he continued.

"Scary things," Keine replied.

A young man's voice came from behind Keine, asking, "Like what scary things?"

Keine turned to find the young revolutionary with the rifle behind her, smiling.

"Why do you care?" Keine replied, "Don't you have a revolution to worry about?"

"Hey, don't mind what the old man said; he's got a samurai spirit, that's all."

"He should throw away that samurai spirit," Keine advised, "The Satsuma Samurai who rebelled in Kagoshima had plenty of 'samurai spirit'. They faced a few thousand Imperial rifles, and they quickly became samurai spirits."

"I'll remind him. But c'mon, tell me, what's in 'Gensokyo?'"

"Alright, I'll tell you," Keine said to him, "What's your name?"

"Kou. Kou Suzuki."

"Do you like scary stories, Kou?"

"I do!" answered one of the boys.

"I'm sure you do, little one. What about you, Kou?"

"I haven't listened to those kinds of stories since I was a kid. My mother used to scare me with tales of Oni stealing me in the night, Kappa pulling me into the river, or Tengu blowing me away with the wind; silly things about youkai, but everybody knows they don't exist."

"Let me tell you the scariest tale of them all, Kou," Keine said to him, "The one where you realize that youkai do exist."

Keine saw Kou fixated on Keine at those words, as if the way she had said it had awoken some fear he had not felt since his mother had told him stories about youkai.

She continued, "I cannot help this village, nor can I help any other village, because in Gensokyo there is this one little village. It has no name, but we call it the human village. Do you know why we call it the human village?"

"Why?" Kou asked.

"Because there are many villages in Gensokyo and my little village is the only one that is occupied by humans."

"What does that mean?"

Keine smiled and shook her head.

"It means that in the other villages, you won't find humans. You'll find Oni, and Kappa, and Tengu. But they are the least of my problems, Kou. Oni, Kappa, and Tengu can talk. You can reason with them if you're smart enough. You can convince them not to terrorize the village. In Gensokyo, however, there are more foul and feral youkai that prey on human flesh."

"So, you defend your village from the youkai…"

"Yes. I use my abilities to make it as if the village never existed. You don't believe me, anyway; why bother asking?"

"I do believe you," Kou replied.

"A minute ago, you said that youkai do not exist. While hypocrisy is sometimes welcomed when what you were believing in beforehand was false, the rate at which you change your beliefs tells much about yourself. Don't lie to me, Kou. You don't believe yet."

"I'd like to see for myself. Maybe after the rebellion, I'll take the Gensokyo road and pay a visit?"

"I advise against that. It's a dangerous life in Gensokyo. You're fighting other men. In Gensokyo, we fight nightmares."

"Why do people still live there, then?" Kou asked her.

Keine gave him a light laugh and a smile. She answered,

"So the Oni won't steal you at night, and the Kappa won't pull you into the river, and the Tengu won't blow you away with the wind."


	3. Wolves and Crows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/kFxcGUGHT7Y  
> https://youtu.be/V7Q9m8J3A9o

Early Winter, Upper Youkai Mountain, Gensokyo

"Aya! Aya!" shouted Momiji excitedly, calling for her friend. Momiji Inubashiri was a female Wolf Tengu serving the Tengu's defence forces.

She, like all Wolf Tengu, was mostly human-like in appearance, the only differences being their pointed wolf ears and wolf their wolf tails. Momiji had short white hair, white ears, and reddish eyes. She was wearing her traditional Tengu garb, similar to a kimono, though Wolf Tengu almost always wore the simpler variant made for men, with an opening to let their tails out, regardless of gender, as the Wolf Tengu were proud, practical, and more focused on war. On the side of her head was strapped an Oni mask. She also wore winter gloves and trousers, as well as thick socks under her sandals.

Attached to Momiji's belt were two swords: a katana, a long, slender, cutting sword, that could be used either one-handed or two-handed, and a wakizashi, a shorter, one-handed blade similar to the Katana. But Wolf Tengu, like the Samurai, often carry larger weapons as well. Momiji's weapon of choice was an even larger and wider two-handed odachi sword.

Momiji was at her watch post near one of the Tengu villages on Youkai Mountain. The Tengu built their towns close to the top of the mountain; the Kappa built theirs near the bottom and under the mountain, while the Oni lived where they pleased.

"Ayaaaa!" she called again to the snowy wind.

An instant after that, Aya zipped from a long way afar and appeared in the air in front of Momiji. Aya was taller and slimmer than Momiji. Aya Shameimaru was a Crow Tengu, and was more human in appearance than Momiji. Aya did not have a tail or different ears, but she did have large black feathered wings. All Crow Tengu have wings, enabling them to fly faster than the other Tengu.

Aya had short black hair, though hers was longer than Momiji's, and Aya also had red eyes. Instead of traditional garbs, Aya wore a white, collared, buttoned, and short-sleeved blouse with maple leaf patterns under a thin winter coat, a black skirt, black stockings, and long, black winter gloves that reached all the way to her elbows. Her footwear was a pair of red Tengu-geta sandals with their iconic long 'tooth' platform. She also had a camera bag slung over her shoulder.

"Aya! You're here!" Momiji exclaimed. The two Tengu embraced.

"Momi!" Aya replied, "Nice to see you today. Look at you, all in uniform. When did you get it?"

"I got it two days ago when I graduated from training!" answered Momiji, "I've never liked the Oni masks, though."

"Well, as long as we serve the Oni King, we wear the Oni masks instead of the Tengu masks. So, why'd you call me?"

"I wanted to ask if you've read the new about the village filled with humans that suddenly appeared in the valley grasslands."

"Momiji, I was the one that wrote that article."

"Oh," she said, "I thought you only wrote gossip about other Youkai…"

"That hurts, Momiji," Aya told her, "but I'm still a Crow Tengu under the Information Corps. It's my duty to get stories like these when they show themselves."

"So," Momiji asked, "What's in the human village? Aside from humans, of course."

"Well, nothing overly interesting. Lord Tenma says the village has been there for a long time, but apparently, they can hide themselves to keep safe from Youkai."

"I see," answered Momiji, "Why would they reveal themselves now?"

Aya started laughing, "Hell if I know. The villagers were all scared when I flew past, and I saw that most of them prepared weapons. If I had to guess, they revealed themselves by accident."

"Well, this was your biggest story yet. Everyone's talking about it. Most of us haven't seen humans for a long time."

"I don't think it's that big of a deal," Aya said, "humans are still humans: dull and boring. I like the attention I'm getting, though."

Momiji told her, "Some 'sages' are saying that the appearance of the human village is a sign that times are changing for us."

"Times have already changed a lot, Momiji. The Tengu were many, and we used to be free and we used to be able to fly around everywhere. We'd cause trouble and have parties and fight humans. We used to live on many mountains, but now, the Tengu only live on one mountain, and to live on that mountain, the Tengu had to serve the Oni, or what's left of the Oni."

"Oh, I know our history, Aya. I wish we could be free again."

"All Tengu wish that, but the Oni are the most powerful on the mountain, and if we want to share the mountain, we have to serve them, just like the Kappa have to serve them as well. And it's because of the humans, Momiji. I don't hate them, but I hate what they've done to us."

Years past, the great Tengu clans lived in many mountains across Japan, but the death of superstition and the increased human advancement and expansion led to numerous wars between Tengu and human, all of which the Tengu lost.

All the great Tengu lords were gone; all except Tenma, who leads the last Tengu clan in existence. They forsook their old clan name, and they referred to themselves only as the Tengu, as they were all that was left of their race.

"Come to think of it," Aya said to Momiji, "Things may start to get interesting. I'm pretty sure Youkai attacks on humans will have an increase, now that there are humans. With that comes an increased interest in Youkai-hunting among humans. Yes, it should get a little interesting around here, unless the village decides to disappear again…"

Right at that moment, the two were greeted by the whistling of a male wolf Tengu trudging through the snow, also in his winter uniform. His hair, eyes, ears, and tail were all brown. On his cheek, there was a large scar. He also had a katana and wakizashi on his belt, but he had an arrow quiver hanging on his side, and an ovular tinbe shield on his back. In his left arm he carried his yumi, a Japanese longbow, while he swung his right arm freely as he walked.

He was Hikaru no Yajirushi, one of the elder Wolf Tengu watchmen, over 2000 years old, and the finest archer in Youkai mountain.

"Good morning, Hikaru," Momiji greeted, "It's your shift already, sir?"

"Ahh, not yet, Momiji, but I like the watch. I think you and Shameimaru have better things to do than stand here to watch the sky. I think I'll start my shift a little early. You two better be off now."

"Thank you, Hikaru, sir," Aya told him politely, though the Wolves had no authority over the Crows and vice-versa. The Crows and the Wolves operated very differently, and acted very differently, but when it comes to it, they are still Tengu all the same; different means to achieve the same end: the survival of the Tengu and the protection of Youkai Mountain.

"Should we walk?" Aya asked Momiji, "Or should we fly?"

Hikaru turned to answer, "I hear some sages saying that the Wolves may lose their ability to fly soon enough. The Crows can't fly as fast as they used to, and I'm hearing that the Oni are becoming weaker."

Aya frowned, "Tengu losing their flight? That's a grim thought, though come to think of it, I am not as fast as I used to be…"

"You're over a thousand years old, Aya; maybe you're just getting old," Momiji jested.

"We don't age that way, Momi," Aya replied, "It just could be the winter."

"Fine," Momiji said, "Let's fly back, then. If it's true, what the sages say, I'd best enjoy it while I can."

Momiji took a breath, and jumped high into the air as she exhaled, slowly stopping herself in mid-air. Aya was also up beside her in an instant.

"Don't worry, Momi," Aya assured, holding Momiji's shoulder, "If you lose your flight on the way, I'll catch you. I promise."

Momiji blushed lightly; Aya was being too overprotective, she thought. She didn't really believe that, right?

"You worry too much," Momiji said to her.

"Do I? I just care for my friends; that's all. Just 'cause I'm a Crow doesn't mean I can't be honest."

Momiji flew slowly around the mountain, with Aya matching her speed. The Wolves were not as agile or quick as the Crows in flight, but it was better than not being able to fly at all. Most Youkai could fly, or at least, at some point many years ago, most of them could. The Oni were said to be able to shape-shift and float on clouds high above the air, but Momiji had never seen any Oni do these things.

The two rose to fly to the top of the mountain, where they stopped to hover for a moment, and took in the magnificent view of Youkai Mountain and Gensokyo.

Gensokyo was a land of many colours; each season, different colours dominated Gensokyo: In the spring, it was green, with the trees growing their leaves and the grass popping out of the snow. In the summer, it was blue for the refreshing waters and the clear skies. In autumn, it was orange of the weltering leaves and of the harvest, and in winter, it was the white of the snow.

To the west of the mountain, where they were facing, was the mysterious and treacherous Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Very few Youkai and Human alike dare venture into the maze of fast-growing Bamboo shoots, lest they risk being lost there forever, which is how the forest got its name.

To the north was the Misty Lake, which had an empty island in the middle. In the summer, much of the water evaporates, and forms a land bridge to the island, and in the cold winter and spring, mists frequently shroud the lake, giving the lake its name. Several rivers from the mountain flowed to this lake.

To the east lay the Human Village, and around it the flat grass plains of Gensokyo. Much of the land around the village had been converted to farmland. Further east, one could follow the road from the Human Village out of Gensokyo and into the Mayoiga pass.

To the south loomed the Forest of Magic, a large forest abundant in magical plants and Youkai, feral and intelligent alike.

A path leading southeast from the Human Village went toward a shrine at the foot of the mountains around the valley, the only shrine in Gensokyo: the Hakurei Shrine they called it.

Of course, dominating Gensokyo's centre was the mountain itself, Yatsugatake-Yama of legend, taller than Mount Fuji, and much wider, also brimming with much more life than Fuji-san. All around the base of Youkai Mountain were rivers, and brooks, and waterfalls, which snaked all across the various rock formations and ravines that were formed when Yatsugatake was still volcanically active. These are normally surrounded by lush forest that became less dense further up the mountain. It was winter now, however, and all of Gensokyo was blanketed in snow.

"Beautiful," Momiji whispered with her eyes in awe, despite seeing it countless times before.

Aya smiled and replied,

"The Gods, the Oni, the Humans, Tenma, or whoever it was that led us to this last refuge… they couldn't have picked a better spot. It is beautiful."

After a few more minutes of flight, they caught sight of their village. It was not the greatest, the richest, or the largest of the Tengu settlements atop the Youkai Mountain, but to Aya and Momiji, it was home. Momiji was raised here as a young Tengu, and Aya settled in this town when Tenma first led the Tengu to Youkai Mountain.

Most of the structures were hanging off the edge of the mountain, though others were firmly planted in the mountain. In between these two types of structures was a narrow road. It didn't have to be wide, as the mountain itself was steep, and Tengu rarely have need for roads. The roads were still large enough for an Oni, however, as they would be the ones expected to use them more often. Kappa rarely ever climbed this high up the mountain, but the Oni went where they pleased.

Several electric posts with their wires ran through the town; the Tengu and the Kappa of Youkai Mountain often collaborated with each other to make advances in science and technology. In truth, much of the technology on Youkai Mountain comes from the Kappa, while the Tengu trade with the Kappa often. The Kappa invents, and the Tengu applies.

The Kappa created cameras, typewriters, and printing presses, among other things, but it is the Tengu that use them mostly.

Aya and Momiji landed in front of Aya's home and headquarters for her newspaper, the _Bunbunmaru_.

On Aya's door, however, a woman of short stature, short, blue hair tied in twin pony-tails with red hair-bobbles, wearing a blue winter-coat, thick gloves and boots, and a large aquamarine backpack waited, knocking at her door. She was a Kappa.

"Nitori," whispered Aya to the girl, who had not noticed Aya and Momiji landing without a sound.

"Aaah!" Nitori shrieked, causing Aya and Momiji to burst into laughter. Nitori turned around, showing the two Tengu her blue eyes and cute face. Nitori Kawashiro was a young Kappa engineer and a good friend to Aya and Momiji.

"You're so cute, Nitori," Aya teased.

"You guys!" Nitori blurted out angrily, her face reddening as she tried to think of a comeback, "I…"

"What is it?" Momiji asked.

"I missed you guys so much!" Nitori finally managed, no longer able to hold her excitement. She jumped at the two Tengu and hugged them tight.

"We missed you too, Nitori," Aya laughed.

Nitori let go and looked at the two of them with a big grin on her face. "How long's it been?" she asked.

"Ten years, I think," replied Aya, "not too long."

"You guys never visit me in Genbu, that's why I miss you so much!" Nitori complained. Nitori belonged to a Kappa community in the marshes of Genbu ravine, somewhere near the base of Youkai Mountain and close to the Forest of Magic.

"It isn't fair," Nitori continued, "you two can fly. You should be the ones coming down to where I live."

"We've been busy," Aya answered.

Nitori grunted, "I've been busy too. Today's my free day, and I spent half of it climbing this mountain, explaining to Oni along the way that today's my day off and I wasn't going to do anything for them, and asking the Tengu around here where you guys were."

"Well," Momiji told Nitori, "Aya has her newspaper and duties to the Information Corps, and I've been doing my rounds and drills ever since I got into the Mountain's Wolf Defence Force. Besides, if we want to go to your house, we'd have to breathe underwater to get there."

"It's only a fifteen minute swim in the underwater river to get to my village! Jeez," Nitori exclaimed.

"Except no Tengu can hold their breath underwater for that long," Aya retorted, "maybe except Tenma; I've seen him out-drink an Oni, which I formerly thought was impossible ."

Nitori, annoyed, told her, "What I'm trying to say is that it's so much easier for you to fly down then for me to climb up."

"Oh, whatever," Aya finally conceded, walking past Nitori and unlocking the door to her house, "come inside; let's have a drink… actually, let's have lunch. It's almost midday."

The three friends chatted for a while and had lunch as morning turned to midday. Nitori unstrapped the large bag from her back and reached into one of the bag's compartments.

"I made something for you, Aya," Nitori said, with a smile on her face, "this is going to revolutionize the industry!"

"Which industry?" asked Aya.

"The information-gathering industry, the journalism industry, and the photography industry, among others, and I want you to test out my prototype!" Nitori answered giddily as she pulled out a strange-looking camera from the bag.

"I call it the insta-photo!" Nitori announced proudly as she handed it over to Aya, "When you press the button to take a picture, the photo will be printed instantly and come out of the slot right here!"

Aya looked at the camera with amazement before turning to Nitori to say, "That sounds really cool! I wouldn't have to wait for photos to develop anymore!"

Aya pointed the camera at Momiji, who was still eating her lunch. Nitori stepped into the camera's field of view and puffed up her cheeks to make a funny face. Aya took the picture and the camera made a clicking sound as Momiji realized what was going on.

The photo came out of the camera a second after it was taken.

"You two look ridiculous," Aya giggled as she looked at the monochrome photo.

Nitori came over to Aya's side and looked at the photo. "After a few experiments," she started, "I can have it print photos in full colour. I also have a flash device here that you can attach to the camera."

"That's great!" Aya replied, "You really outdid yourself with this one, Nitori."

"When the insta-photo is fully developed and commercialized," Nitori continued, "I'll start working on a way to print photos on paper so we can have newspapers with photos on them! Can you imagine being the only newspaper on the mountain with actual photos in it? The days of artists tracing or copying the images onto the papers will be over! News will be spread faster and more efficiently!"

"I can imagine," Aya replied, "you're a genius Nitori. Thanks for letting me test this out; with the news of the human village appearing out of nowhere, I'll sure be sent to gather information on it."

"You can keep the prototype, Aya," Nitori insisted, "and about the village: I may be going to that human village to negotiate trade between them and the mountain."

"What goods could the Oni possibly be interested in from the village?" Momiji asked.

"Not the Oni," Nitori replied, "though I'd say some of them would come down there to pick fights and have drinking contests, it's the Kappa that are most interested. The humans are always making interesting advancements in science in technology, and the Kappa are always interested in new developments we can use to improve our own."

"Some crazy Youkai are saying that the village is a bad omen; that it's a sign that the end of the Youkai is in near," Momiji remarked, "Aya says that it's all farce or fear-mongering. What do you think, Nitori?"

Nitori scratched her head before she answered, "Momiji, you know I am a woman of science, and I don't believe any of these things have bearing. I see it as an opportunity. Humans are obsessed with self-preservation; if we offer our hand in friendship, they'll gladly take it and everyone will benefit. Otherwise, the humans will be facing hostilities from the combined might of the Oni, Tengu, and Kappa of Youkai Mountain, and this tiny village cannot hope to hold its own against us. The humans would need thousands of well-armed, well-trained soldiers to have any chance of defeating us."

Momiji nodded in approval just as someone began knocking at the door.

Aya stood up and walked towards the door, "Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Shin," muttered an inconspicuous male voice.

Aya opened the door to be greeted by a tall, lean Crow Tengu, with pale skin, black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a dark winter trench coat over his uniform: a buttoned black shirt tucked in black slacks and black boots. He also wore black fingerless gloves, and had a dark brown belt with a tanto dagger attached to it.

"What brings you here?" asked Aya.

"Tenma's orders brought me here, Aya. My apologies for interrupting lunch with your friends," he said.

"It's no problem," she replied, "Momiji, Nitori; this is Shin Kakusu, my uh… boss."

Shin smiled, "Good day to the two of you. There's good reason for me coming on such short notice, Aya. There's an issue regarding the security of Gensokyo's existence, and Tenma believes that this human village could be involved."

"How so?" Aya inquired.

"That's why I need to talk to you," Shin answered, "We need to find out."

"How are we going to do that?"

"Come with me, Aya. There's much to discuss."


	4. The Chichibu Incident

3 November, 1884, Meiji 17. Yorii, Osata District, Saitama Prefecture, Empire of Japan.

A battalion of soldiers from the 3rd infantry regiment, 2nd infantry brigade, of the Imperial Japanese Army's 1st Division, also known as the Tokyo Garrison, had set up and garrisoned a base of operations in the town of Yorii, in the Osata District, north of Chichibu.

It was late into the afternoon when Colonel Saito Fukuzawa and Lieutenant Hayato Morichika followed the battalion into the town, which was being transformed into a makeshift military base that could be easily defended from across the Arakawa, the Ara River, should the rebels that call themselves the _komminto_ , be so bold as to attempt an attack. The Imperial troops and their officers all wore their dark-blue uniforms as they marched into town, as if they had already won.

The two rode into the town on horses, followed by an additional infantry company to bolster the garrison at Yorii. The town lay on the north side of the Arakawa. It was winter, but no snow had fallen on the region as of yet.

"Colonel Fukuzawa," sternly addressed an Imperial Army officer to Colonel Saito as he entered the main office in the town hall, which they had turned into their command centre.

"I am Major Harada, Colonel," the officer introduced himself, before gesturing to the younger officer at his side, "and this is 2nd lieutenant Kumamoto. My men are at your command, Colonel."

"Right," Saito replied, going over to the table where a map of the Saitama prefecture lay before them, "The rebels will be hard pressed to cross the Arakawa, but we have made certain that all the crossings close to Yorii are watched."

The major then asked, "The River does not have to be an obstacle for them, because the river turns. It doesn't cut them off; what if they decide to go around instead? Or move south to attempt to march to Tokyo?"

Saito nodded, and answered, "By tomorrow, a company from the 3rd battalion will be stationed at Kodama town, north of Chichibu, and the north and northeast will be sealed to the rebels, forcing them to make a drive south or southeast, where the other battalions of the regiment will be ready to repel them while we drive into Chichibu and the other towns from here."

"So we will wait for them to attack?" the Major asked.

"We're hoping for it," Saito answered, "but if they don't lose patience or surrender soon enough, we will launch a pincer attack from North and South, surrounding the towns around Chichibu, crushing resistance, and eventually forcing them west, to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains where they will be caught between the army and the mountains."

Major Harada nodded in approval. "It's a very good plan. If the komminto put up a good fight, we might even have a chance to bring in troops with the new Murata rifles and test them out on the rebels."

"Our sources say that the komminto have anywhere between 5,000 and 10,000 armed fighters," Saito told the major, "They outnumber us at the moment, even with the metropolitan police fighting with us. Do you know anything about their arms and training?"

The major nodded, "Yes, indeed, Colonel. The komminto's 'army' consists of three 'battalions.' The amount of fighters per battalion is not known to us, but most of their army consist of poor farmers and common workers, with the occasional grumbling veteran or ex-samurai in the ranks. Most of them will be poorly trained, if trained at all, but their leaders have shown some organization in the ranks, separating their gunners, swordsmen, and spearmen."

"How many guns do they have?"

"Little, in comparison to their arsenal of bamboo spears, which most of the rebels will be armed with. Their firearms are obsolete: mostly hunting muskets and some breech-loaders from the Boshin War. We have Chassepot, Mauser, and Murata rifles, and I'm certain our troops will excel against the rebels in close-quarters combat. In addition, they don't have filed artillery or cavalry; we have both. The komminto won't stand a chance."

The Colonel stood up, smiling, "Very good, Major Harada. I was hoping to go out and see the Chichibu countryside before the sun set?"

"You can, sir," the major answered, "the rebels move their forces at night, mostly, and as of latest reports, most of their strength seems to be focused around the town of Omiya, southeast of Chichibu, and quite far from here. They have some cunning, though, no matter how low it may be. These silk-farmers know the land better than we do, but with caution, discipline and superior firepower, we will smash this rebellion with minimal casualties to our troops."

"I hope so, major," replied Saito, "I'm not interested in seeing another Shiroyama."

"I guarantee you, Colonel, this rebellion will not end like that bloodbath."

"You're wrong about one thing, major," Saito laughed, "we have better training and better guns now, true, but we're fighting poor mobs of witless farmers; doesn't the scenario just scream, 'bloodbath,' to you?"

 

"I think I see your point," nodded said the major, bowing his head as Colonel Saito exited the room with Lieutenant Hayato.

The two left the headquarters of the battalion to survey the area across the Ara River. At the town of Yorii, there were two bridges that spanned the Arakawa: there was the large east bridge, and a second makeshift west bridge created by the Army troops. The rebels would be fools to attack here. They'd have to funnel their forces through one or both of the bridges, where Major Harada had placed a Gatling gun and a sentry of twenty riflemen at each.

Saito spotted a lieutenant walking from the east bridge.

"Lieutenant," he called, "Yes, you."

"Sir?" the lieutenant replied.

"What are our defences across the river? How many men are stationed there?"

"The rest of the town is directly across the east bridge, where we have at least fifty men," he answered, "And we have a forward command and observation post in the ruins of Hachigata castle, with around thirty rifles as garrison."

"What about the west bridge?" Saito asked.

"The observation post at Hachigata overlooks the approach to the bridge, and we have two sentries on the far side. It's mostly open ground; not defensible, so we thought it best to let them attempt to cross the bridge, where we can gun them down."

"Very good, Lieutenant; is it safe for me to inspect the defences across the bridge?"

"The sun will set soon, sir. We wouldn't want to risk anyone getting caught in a night attack."

"Well then, I'd best get started. Hayato," called Saito.

"Yes, Colonel," he answered immediately.

"Get us some horses. We'll ride across the east bridge and take a look at the Hachigata ruins before checking out the west bridge and crossing in back to the main town."

"Yes, sir; right away, sir," Hayato dutifully replied.

Hayato returned a short wait later with their coats, and two horses: for Saito, he brought a large, black stallion, and for himself a light-brown gelding. Saito preferred stallions, as they were generally larger and stronger, though harder to control.

The two mounted up and rode across the east bridge, escorted by five other mounted guards. Hayato and two of the guards bore Spencer lever-action repeating carbines, while Saito and the other three carried revolvers in their holsters. Each had either a katana or a Western-styled cavalry sabre in his scabbard. Saito had a katana, and Hayato used a sabre.

Across the bridge, Saito and Hayato rode through the other half of the town, questioning soldiers on what they were to do should the rebels attack the town. Saito was impressed. Everyone followed their patrol routs and watches so that all sides of the town were watched. In the event of a rebel attack, the soldiers would fall back to designated defence points, paramount among these the ruins of Hachigata castle, which overlooked both bridges. Major Harada had done well.

The group stopped at the castle ruins to inspect its garrison. The castle had been torn down during the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate; only the earthworks remain where walls, towers, and keeps once stood. The soldiers placed tents, sandbag fortifications, and watchtowers all around the ruins. The castle may have been gone for several hundred years, but the position was still a formidable obstacle. There were thirty soldiers garrisoned here, and during an attack, most of the soldiers on the south side of the Arakawa would fall back here.

"Who is in command here," Saito called out to the castle's garrison. An older-looking sergeant major presented himself to Saito and saluted.

"Colonel," he addressed.

"How prepared are your men for an attack?" Saito asked.

"We've gone over our defensive procedures a hundred times, Colonel," the sergeant assured, "my men know how to shoot, and how to fight with their bayonets. We are well prepared, sir."

"Very good, sergeant; as you were."

The view the castle provided was wonderful, but Saito realized that the sun would set soon. He had to get back before sundown. Saito's group exited the castle the way they came in, and were met by a young sergeant leading a squad of ten riflemen on a patrol.

"Where are you taking these men, sergeant?" asked Saito.

"Colonel, sir," the sergeant called, "I'm leading these men through the dirt roads in these woods to the west bridge. It's the shortest route to the west bridge."

"Come with us, then," Saito urged, "The sun is setting and we'll be safer as one group. Lead the way, sergeant."

"This way, sir," the sergeant pointed, "Toyomi! Homura! With me! The rest of you, fall in behind the Colonel!"

The sergeant and two of his men led the way, followed by two of Saito's guards, and then by Saito and Hayato. The other eight riflemen formed two lines and marched behind them, flanked by two other horse guards. At the back of the column, the remaining horse guard followed, ready to turn and ride the opposite direction to call for help if necessary.

"Colonel," Hayato called, "Is this a good idea? We could ride out to the road and get there faster."

"We're better protected as a group, and the road goes south before it turns back to Yorii. If there's a chance to meet rebels, it's on that road."

"Very well, but I don't like marching through forests, even ones as mild as this one. Forests are great places to be ambushed."

Lieutenant Hayato Moricihika surveyed the forest around the dirt road they were marching on. The sun had begun to set and turned the sky into a faint orange. The trees around them were either dead of leaves or had orange and yellow leaves. The soil was littered with dead leaves, and the woods were silent It sent an eerie chill down Hayato's spine.

"Sergeant," Hayato called. He had to break this unnerving silence.

The young man turned his head as he continued walking. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

"How many times have you gone through this road?"

"About twice since we got here, sir."

Hayato thought he heard laves crunching in the distance, and then noticed Private Homura, one of the soldiers beside the sergeant, step on a tiny branch along the path, making a crackling sound as his boot smashed the branch. Hayato paid no mind to the first sound.

"Do you have your men fix their bayonets often?"

"We really only give the order before battle, sir; but I think I know what you mean. The forest at this type of hour can get you a little nervous."

"You read my mind, sergeant."

"It's a skill that comes naturally as a sergeant, sir," he bragged, "You've got to learn how to read your men's faces and words."

"I understand completely," Hayato replied. He felt a little less uneasy now. He turned to see Colonel Saito's head was turned to one side of the woods, as if looking for something. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

And then they heard it.

Gunshots, far off in the distance; Saito was still scanning the side of the woods. Hayato turned to see where the shots came from, but he knew they were far away. It was probably another patrol or a sentry. There would soon be a loud flare fired from Hachigata to notify the entire garrison of Yorii that shots had been fired.

"Well," the sergeant said, "I think we can agree it's best we double time it. Men, fix bayonets. I don't want to be caught unprepared in an amb—"

The bullet went right through the sergeant's throat, blood spurting from the exit wound, as they heard the sounds of the gunfire, and several more bullets landed around them. By the time they realized what was happening, the sergeant had fallen to the ground, lifeless and bloody, along with Private Homura. The horse guard in front of Hayato was hit while Hayato unloaded all the bullets loaded in his repeating rifle, and the guard fell from his horse, dead. All the while, the other horse guards were aiming their rifles at the rebels in the woods as the footmen turned to face the rebels.

"Ambush!" Saito shouted as rebels came down on them from the left side of the road, shouting curses and battle cries. The rider-less horse in front of Hayato ran forward and rode down Private Toyomi as he aimed his rifle at the rebels.

Some of the Imperial soldiers returned fire at the rebels, while the others struggled to fix their bayonets onto their rifles. The Imperial soldiers were equipped with intimidating sword-bayonets that could be used as short swords without the rifles, or turn their rifles into deadly glaives. As the rebels ran out of the woods, more shots were fired, this time from the Imperial troops. The rebels were wearing farmer's clothes for the most part; some had bandanas or armbands. One of them was wearing a long coat and bore a Samurai braid. A few rebels fell to the return-fire of the Imperials.

"Aaah!" cried one of the rebels as he charged into the Imperial soldiers, thrusting his bamboo spear into his gut. Several more rebels joined the brutal melee, with bamboo spears, naginata polearms, or katanas. The imperial troops fought back fiercely with their bayonets and the butts of their rifles.

The rebels with guns stayed back, reloading their muskets. Saito, drawing his revolver, was pulled of his horse by a rebel, and Hayato drew his sabre and spurred his horse forward to aid his Colonel. Saito fired his revolver into the rebel's skull as the rebel tried to stab him with a sword. Saito quickly got up and drew his katana to join the fight.

Another rebel braced his bamboo spear and drove it into Hayato's horse. Hayato's horse fell to the ground head first, and Hayato slammed onto the ground, front-face. Still conscious, he turned on his back and saw the rebel draw a knife and run toward him. The rebel attempted to stab Hayato, but he caught the rebel's arm with his left hand as he reached for his sabre with the other. The rebel took his other hand and put it on the dagger hilt to push harder. The dagger had almost reached Hayato's chest when he took grip of his sabre and plunged it into the neck of the rebel, causing the rebel to spit blood onto Hayato's face. Blood spurted from the rebel's neck as Hayato pulled the sword out.

Hayato was hyperventilating. He pushed the dead rebel off him, only to see another rebel coming at him with a spear. He was helpless, lying there. The rebel would simply impale poor Hayato with the spear, but as the rebel stepped over the dead horse, his face met the butt of an imperial rifle, causing the rebel to stagger and fall on his back. The soldier took his bayoneted rifle and plunged it into the rebel's chest.

There was more gunfire, but Hayato was able to note that the gun sounds were the sweet sound of new Imperial Murata rifles. He'd noticed when the ambush started that the rebels fired older, breech loading rifles, from the sounds.

The Imperial soldiers shouted. Hayato was relieved; they had won.

Saito came to him and offered his hand. Hayato took it and got up. He rose to see only three of the Imperial Army riflemen and two of his horse guards still standing. Another Army soldier lay dying on the edge of the road. The two horse guards were subduing the rebel with the Samurai braid. The rest were dead. They lost three of their five horses. Around them lay the bodies of thirteen rebels. Surely there were a couple more dead rebels lying in the woods, the ones that were shot as they charged.

"That man looked like an officer," Saito said to Hayato, gesturing at the ex-Samurai, "He almost fought like one too; he must be a Boshin War veteran."

Saito went on about how the two fought in a duel that lasted all of two seconds. Saito disarmed the ex-Samurai and said he was to be questioned. Saito stopped talking a moment when he noticed Hayato staring at the corpse of the man he had killed with his sabre.

"Your first?" Saito asked. Hayato nodded. "Are you afraid? It's over."

"I… I lost my breath…" Hayato said, "But I'm fine."

"You're scared, Hayato. I can smell fear. You're in the Kujotai, Lieutenant. You are sworn to fight the Youkai scourge. The Youkai feed off fear. You must learn to throw away fear, or the Youkai will consume you."

"I'm not afraid of Youkai," Hayato told him.

"Of course you aren't," Saito replied, "How can you be?"

Hayato had a confused look on his face, but Saito continued,

"You've never seen one, you've never fought one, you've never heard their war cries, you've never seen your friends killed and ripped apart by them, Hayato."

Hayato was trembling now. He wasn't sure if it was because of Saito or the thought of Youkai ripping him apart.

"What happened?" Hayato blurted out.

"What?" Saito replied.

"The Youkai, " Hayato said, "what have they done to you… your friends… what…"

"Not now," Saito interrupted, "There'll be a time for stories. We have to get back to Yorii."

Saito turned to the ex-Samurai and threatened him to move. The Samurai followed. They strapped him onto one of the horses. He told Hayato to get on one of the Horses. Luckily for them, one of the footmen knew how to ride a horse, and Saito directed him to lead them out of the path and back to Yorii. The two horses left Saito and the three remaining men as fast as they could. Saito quickly ran with the others, following the horse tracks.

The sun had set by the time Saito had arrived at Yorii's west bridge. There was a battle taking place by now, but it was at the east bridge and the Hachigata ruins; the rebels had no prior knowledge of the west bridge.

Saito could hear the guns in the distance and smell the smoke. A firefight had erupted between Imperial Forces guarding the west bridge and a rebel patrol. Saito ran across the bridge as fast as he could while gunfire blazed across the river. After Saito had crossed, the rest of the men on the south side of the Arakawa ran back across the bridge to Yorii.

"Is everyone across?" shouted an officer.

"Yes, sir!" was the reply of one of the sergeants.

"Right! Hirano! Blow the bridge!"

An engineer detonated explosives under the bridge and it collapsed into the Arakawa, denying them the crossing and freeing up men to defend the east bridge, now the only direct crossing to the town of Yorii.

Rebel soldiers opened fire from across the river with their older rifles, and the Imperial Soldiers returned fire. Some Imperial troops pushed the Gatling gun into position and started peppering the south bank of the river with the gun's rapid-fire.

Saito approached one of the officers.

"Where is Major Harada?" Saito asked.

"He's on the roof of the headquarters, overseeing the battle. Your lieutenant went there with his prisoner as well."

"Very good. Go on, now, you have a bridge to defend."

"Yes, sir!"

The battle did not rage on for very long. In just over an hour, the rebels had been repelled and routed from Yorii. The Imperial forces suffered minimal casualties, while a large portion of the rebel force had been killed or captured.

Colonel Saito joined Major Harada in his headquarters in the Yorii town office that night for dinner. They had a simple meal of beef and rice.

The Major spoke first as he finished his dish, "I ordered all captured rebel officers to be rounded up for questioning. We can start that in the morning. As for the rest of the prisoners, we've already taken the liberty to begin the executions."

"Massacring prisoners is not an easy order to carry out, and is of questionable morality," Colonel Saito told him, "I am glad you carry out the orders willingly and without hesitation."

"Treason and Rebellion are crimes punishable by death," Harada replied, "I am only carrying out the law; the will of the Emperor."

"Tell me, Major," Saito started, "Would you like to serve your Emperor and your country even further?"

"With all due respect, Colonel," Harada laughed, "I know what you're going to say. You're offering me a position in the Emperor's most secretive and elite force, to serve my country by giving up my name, my history, my existence to hunt down the Youkai until the end of my days. My answer is no."

"You won't have to serve until the end of your life, Major," Saito replied, "I've been given command of two Army regiments because I need them to destroy the last of the Youkai. That's right, the very last ones."

"I do believe in Youkai, Colonel," the Major added, "And I support your cause; I think Youkai are a menace. I've never seen one, but we've all heard stories. I'm sure if your organization manages to exist until now and even influence General Yamagata into giving you command of two regiments, your cause must be legitimate, but I must refuse this. My job is to smash this rebellion and occupy Chichibu as long as needed for you to finish your operation. I'm not going to join you, Colonel."

"Well, that's understandable," Saito said as he stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I'd best get some rest. The rebels showed us today that they mean business, even if that business is throwing themselves at our rifles and bayonets in suicidal charges. We'll need to advance south by midday tomorrow; I'm quite eager to crush this rebellion."

"Colonel, one more thing," Major Harada called.

"What is it?"

"Don't offer anything to my lieutenant."

Colonel Saito smiled as he left the room. The town was much quieter now, devoid of the sounds of gunfire and shouting, but Saito could hear distant wailing of wounded soldiers in the triage centre and infirmary. He walked out to the town office's main conference room, where he found Lieutenant Hayato eating noodles while reading a book. On the table were maps of the Yatsugatake area. One of them was an ancient map from the Early Edo Period, mapping Gensokyo with the true Mount Yatsugatake at its centre.

"You've been busy," Saito commented, "Studying the old maps, and reading

"I want to keep myself busy, sir," Hayato replied, "Otherwise I'll see him in my head again."

"Who?"

"I'm thinking more about that sergeant that led us through the woods. I didn't even know his name."

"Good man," Saito recalled, "But you'll forget it eventually. Many men will die in front of your eyes, Hayato. Men will die all around you. That's the reality of war. The ones that will haunt you the most are the deaths of the men under your direct command; men who have served with you and followed you into battle for years, men whose names you've learned and taken to heart. It hurts; it always does, but you'll get used to it."

"That's what I'm afraid of, sir," Hayato expressed, putting down his book, "Getting used to it: death, killing, massacre, loss, victory, defeat; I don't want to get used to war. This is the last war of the Kujotai. After this, we won't be needed anymore. I can go home, and I'll go home as a man shaped by war and death, that's for sure, but I don't want to come home as a man whose humanity was consumed by war."

"You're young and naïve, Hayato," Saito grunted, "I thought like that before. War will consume you, Hayato. You don't have to be an officer in this army for twenty years and fight on the frontlines of two wars like I did to lose your 'humanity'. I learned that after my first battle."

Hayato frowned as Saito sighed, "We'll need you in the months to come, Hayato. You keep reading those books and maps; we'll need the information. We'll make a Youkai-hunter out of you."

Saito returned to his quarters and fell on the bed. He fell asleep quickly, and found himself in a dream.

There was clashing of steel, blood, guts, swords and bayonets, smoke and rifle muzzles flashing. There was shouting everywhere. He could see soldiers… Imperial Army soldiers, in their dark blue uniforms and their caps, marching with sword bayonets fixed to their Snider rifles. He heard the order to advance, and he heard the thundering charge of the enemy coming down the hill. The soldiers were panicking as the enemy screamed and shouted, their battle cries disorienting and demoralizing, and their swords brandished and ready to kill. The gunfire did not stop their rapid charge. They came crashing into the lines…

And then he woke. Saito was sweating. 'It can't be,' he thought. Hayato was at the door, looking at him. The room had no window; he couldn't tell the time.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Hayato asked him.

"What time is it?" Saito asked.

"6 AM. Most of the other men and officers are already awake."

"I was dreaming."

"A nightmare, without a doubt," Hayato observed. It was obvious by Saito's sweat and uncomfortable look.

"A nightmare I thought had abandoned me five years ago."

"What is it, Colonel?"

"Nothing, Lieutenant. It's none of your concern. Let's get some breakfast."

The morning dragged on as if there hadn't been an attack last night, save for the mass executions of prisoners and the questioning of rebel 'officers,' who gave up very little before they were executed. Whether this was loyalty to their cause or pure ignorance was beyond Colonel Saito.

Eventually they learned that the group that had attacked Yorii was designated as the "second battalion" of the Komminto, and was led by Kikuchi Kanbei and Iizuka Morizo, and their orders were to hold Onohara in the event of an attack. They learned that the battalion disobeyed orders and advanced north all the way to Yorii, where they were routed by Major Harada's 1st Battalion.

Saito was skeptical, since Onohara was quite a distance south from Yorii, but whether he was wrong or not did not matter, as news from the Army division south of Chichibu reached Yorii later that afternoon, as the officers of the Yorii garrison were convening in the conference room.

"Most of the rebel leaders are reported to have dispersed in panic to our presence. We have a combined force of Army troops, Metropolitan police, Hunters, ex-Samurai, and other locals already on the move to exploit the confusion among the rebel ranks," Harada read the telegraph.

"Colonel," Harada continued, "The south troops mean to move into the area today. They request us to mobilize to help them form a semicircle around Chichibu and push them to the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains where they will have no avenue of escape."

"That's the plan, Major. Get this garrison moving, and notify the commander of the Kodama garrison to mobilize his troops as well."

"Yes, colonel!"

Colonel Saito turned to the rest of the officers in the room.

"Yesterday we gave the rebels a taste of how rebellion is dealt with in Japan, and today their leaders have dispersed, leaving nothing but a mob of disgruntled silk farmers with bamboo spears and old guns. We will march upon them and show them the might of the Imperial Japanese Army!"

The officers cheered.

"Dismissed." The officers began leaving the room.

"Hayato," Saito called.

"Colonel?"

"We still have one more prisoner to question."

Saito and Hayato found the ex-Samurai that led the ambush on them in the woods. He was sitting on the dirt, his head bowed down, refusing to look at Saito.

"You should have killed me. You dishonor me with your cowardice."

"I'd rather have your information than your petty Samurai honor," Saito snapped, "Your rebellion is doomed. You'll be rewarded if you answer questions that will help me end it sooner."

"All the reward I ask is an honorable death."

"You'll get one, if that's what you want," Saito assured, "I think I'll start with my most important question: How do you get to the town of Mayoiga?"

The ex-Samurai tilted his head up at the sound of the word.

"Mayoiga?"

Saito read his reaction, "You know the town."

"You will never breach that town. There is only one road that leads to it, and the town dominates the pass. You will be cut down as you approach."

"If you are so confident, show me the way, so perhaps I can find out if what you say is true."

The ex-Samurai sighed and shook his head.

"I don't have to show you. The poor rebel peasants will show you the way. They will run from your guns, into the mountains. Please, have mercy on them. I've been there no two days ago. They are no warriors. They have women and children. You do not have to kill them all."

"I don't want Mayoiga, Samurai," Saito muttered, "but I need it so I can get to the place beyond Mayoiga."

"Gensokyo?!" the Samurai stammered.

"Yes. That's all I want, but you rebels turned Mayoiga into your stronghold, and now I have to raze the town, and kill everyone there too."

The Samurai was mumbling to himself and shaking his head more.

"Your information was… invaluable. Thank you," Saito told him as he turned around to walk away. Hayato followed him.

Saito stopped, "Oh," he said, remembering, "You wanted an honorable death?"

Saito called one of the guards to hand him a tanto, a Japanese dagger.

"Here," Saito declared to the ex-Samurai, "Do it."

He tossed the tanto to the ex-Samurai's feet, so he could commit seppuku, ritual suicide that involved cutting open one's bowels with the tanto. If a defeated Samurai had been a good servant, a good friend, or an honorable fighter, another may end his misery by beheading the man with a katana.

"Hayato, get our horses ready. I'll see this finished."

Hayato bowed in acknowledgement as Saito drew his katana.

Hayato left him to see the Imperial Army soldiers scrambling from their positions to the call of their officers. It was time to advance.

He walked for a few seconds, and then he heard the sound of steel biting into flesh, and then a cry of agonizing pain, that was ended abruptly by the singing of a katana slash.


	5. Oni Omo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/1VTLqUbt1uY

The lights were lit fairly dim in the council chamber, a large and spacious room, built in the caves deep inside the Youkai Mountain. The room was lit by Kappa lights, powered by electricity. Shintei Kakusareta, the Tengu everyone knew as 'Shin Kakusu,' tall and lean, with his black hair, black wings, and dark eyes, entered the room first, wearing his black coat.

As he entered the large wooden double doors, the lights' brightness intensified. Shin was first to the assembly, as always. He liked to listen to the other members of the High Council chattering while waiting for session to begin. Shin always listened for any news or gossip. It was his duty to listen. And to whisper everything he deemed important to Tenma.

Shin didn't like his job. He loved it. He loved listening. He was the best listener in Youkai Mountain, perhaps the best in Gensokyo. He could recall entire speeches, and quote exact lines from them. He knew the names of all his subordinates, even before he met them. He could hear every conversation that took place in this council chamber, though he could not listen to them all at the same time; he could only focus on one conversation at a time.

Shin heard the sound of small footsteps coming from behind the doors opposite the ones he entered. The Kappa Directors have arrived. All three of them, at the same time, as well.

The doors slowly grinded open, and Shin observed the three Kappa Directors waddle in at the same time, side by side, while continuing their conversation about the usefulness of swords now that the humans had advanced their gun technology so much in the past century.

There were many Kappa clans in and around the Youkai Mountain, but they all answered to one of the three larger Kappa "districts:" the Mountain Kappa, the River Kappa, and the Marsh Kappa. Each district was represented on the council by a director. The directors are said to be the most brilliant minds of their districts. Shin knew that by "brilliant minds," the Kappa meant technical or scientific knowledge; the Kappa directors usually took a back seat in these council meetings.

The Mountain Kappa, Haiiro, was the tallest of the three, albeit only by a few centimetres, and evidently the eldest; he was a rather plump individual as well, and he was bald and grew a greenish beard on his chin. The River Kappa, Midori, was the only female of the three, and was, in contrast to the Mountain Kappa, lean and fit, and she had short, green hair that only barely overlapped her ears. The Marsh Kappa, Kuro, was the shortest, and the youngest, as far as Shin could tell. He had short black hair and a lean build.

After being voted, the director serves a term of ten years, and during this term, the director drops his or her surname and replaces it with the title of the district they serve: Yama no Haiiro, Kawa no Midori, and Sawa no Kuro.

"Human guns outrange our own," complained the Marsh Kappa to the Mountain Kappa.

"Not to mention the fact that they also reload faster, and they are much more capable of mass production," added the River Kappa.

"You forget," answered the Mountain Kappa, "We can use our guns underwater, our guns don't make so much smoke like theirs, and our guns aren't quite as loud."

That made the two younger Kappa nod in silence for a second, but the River Kappa opened her mouth just as quick.

"Useless features during the winter, when most of the waterways freeze up and the valley becomes so quiet you can hear almost anything from a mile away," she argued, "Face it, old man; with the rate humans are evolving their weapons, swords and spears will be phased out of their systems within fifty years."

"Exactly," the Marsh Kappa agreed, "We need to stop or reduce our production of swords and spears and start developing better guns."

"Why should we?" the Mountain Kappa puffed, "Do you two plan on going to war with the humans?!

Shin smiled and chuckled lightly.

"I doubt that, Haiiro," Shin answered, "I believe your students are concerned about the opposite: what if the humans plan on going to war with us?"

"What are you trying to say, Tengu?" the Mountain Kappa sharply inquired.

Shin replied, "You'll learn all you need to know in this coming council meeting, my good friend."

As if on cue, the door behind Shin was swung open from the other side, revealing a tall, large, muscular, White Wolf Tengu, near six-and-a-half feet tall, and wearing his traditional uniform. On his back hung a Nagamaki (a Japanese sword with an extra-long handle), and a massive tower shield, taller than the monstrous Tengu himself.

Behind him entered another tall Tengu, who stood at around six feet tall, with unkempt, short, black hair and dark brown eyes. He was neither Crow nor Wolf, having no wings or wolf features. He wore a mildly ornate, yet still practical kimono, coloured black, with some white linings. His katana and his wakizashi were sheathed on his right hip. He walked into the council chamber with a sly smile on his face.

"Boss Tenma," Shin addressed with a bow. The three Kappa directors turned their attention to Tenma, who returned the bow to Shin.

Haiiro noticed Tenma's swords sheathed on his right.

"Are you left-handed now, Tenma?"

Tenma turned to face the Kappa, gave him a short, blank stare and then smiled.

"Perhaps I am," Tenma answered in a somewhat sarcastic sounding tone, "Or perhaps I just want to keep my enemies from guessing."

The Mountain Kappa grunted.

"Enemies?!" Haiiro coughed, "You've no enemies here, Tengu Boss."

"Everyone is a potential enemy," Tenma responded, "and a potential ally. It's all a matter of figuring out who's what."

The door behind Tenma and Shin closed, shut by a third Tengu, a female Crow Tengu, shorter than Tenma by a few inches, black hair tied in a ponytail, and brown eyes, wearing black boots, black trousers, and a short black coat, with a wakizashi and several daggers attached to her belt, as well as several daggers in scabbards attached to her trousers.

The large White Wolf Tengu positioned himself behind Tenma's right, and the Crow Tengu on Tenma's left, as the Boss Tengu sat down. Shin observed the two: Taiyo and Tsuki, they were called; Tenma's bodyguards. Shin wondered if Taiyo, the Wolf, and Tsuki, the Crow, were lovers, and if they were married. He wondered if Taiyo and Tsuki were even their real names, or just nicknames Tenma gave them. Shin knew almost everything outside of Tenma's dealings. Shin was excellent at uncovering secrets, but Tenma was even better at hiding them.

While the three Kappa continued their fruitless argument, Tenma turned to Shin.

"Shin," he called, "Sit."

Shin took a seat at Tenma's right side.

"Yes, boss?" Shin asked in a soft voice.

"What is the latest word from Chichibu?" Tenma questioned.

"The whispers I hear tell me that the Imperial Army has utterly crushed the Rebel forces in the opening engagements," Shin started, "and many of the leaders have already abandoned the struggle. Omiya has fallen to the Imperials, and Minano is the only town that is still resisting the Imperial advance."

"Not the only one," Tenma responded sullenly.

"Indeed," Shin continued, "A number of rebels are fleeing westward. Instead of preparing for a last stand at the foot of the mountains, they seem to be disappearing."

"Not disappearing," Tenma replied, "Fleeing elsewhere."

"Yes," Shin nodded, "Into Mayohiga."

"It's probably a stream of refugees pouring into the Mayohiga pass," Tenma added, "The Imperials will find the town; that is certain."

Shin turned his head down and exhaled.

"And then they might find us."

Tenma nodded again, and said, "Which is why this council meeting is so important, Shin. That Human Village will prove useful."

"I understand."

"Of course you do, Shin, otherwise you wouldn't be the head of the Information Corps. It's these other clueless council louts that need to be informed and convinced."

Tenma surveyed the council chamber and asked, "Shin, where is Commander Isamu?"

"He chose not to attend the council today, boss," Shin answered, "I informed him yesterday of the likely threat the humans caused, as you commanded. He's intensified the training and drilling of the Wolves since then. Isamu is likely overseeing their drills right now."

"Likely?" Tenma pointed out, "That's not a word I hear from you often."

"My apologies; the present progressive is not as definite as the present perfect, Boss Tenma. Right now, Commander Isamu could be drinking, bathing, having his way with a woman, or all three at the same time, for all I know."

"That's a fair answer, Shin, and a good jest. Isamu is quite the loose cannon."

Shin chuckled, "Ironically, that makes him the only cannon in our defence force."

Another minute passed in the council room, with the Kappa's scientific chattering on one side, and the Tengu's clever mischief on the other; the seats of the Oni, in the centre, were unoccupied. Finally, Shin felt the floor trembling and heard the loud footsteps behind the third door. Finally.

The door flew open, and right then and there, he was before them: Eight feet tall, very muscular, his skin the colour of regular flesh and with thick hair on his arms and legs. He wore trousers, and a robe that proudly displayed his hairy chest. He had two eyes, two horns that sprouted from the sides of his forehead, green braided shoulder-length hair, and a short beard to match.

Omo, the Oni King, and Lord of Youkai Mountain, he was. The three Kappa bowed their heads in respect of their lord. The Tengu did the same afterwards, though not as prudently as the Kappa.

Omo walked into the room, and he was followed by a female Oni, fair skinned and buxom, but still quite muscular. She wore a long skirt and a white shirt. Her hair was long, blonde, and free-flowing. On the centre her forehead was a single horn. Her face was rather comely for an Oni, but her expression was full of pride.

Tenma took a look at her and scowled. Omo noticed, and guffawed at Tenma.

"Still bitter, eh, Tenma?" the female Oni snorted, "That was five centuries ago; let it go already. Have a drink."

"I must refuse," Tenma replied, "I've learned my lesson when it comes to drinking with you, Yuugi."

Omo joined in the conversation, "Ahh, Tenma the Liar, it's been too long. I've begun to miss all your false truths and broken promises."

Omo took to calling Tenma, 'the liar,' Shin remembered. He viewed all Tengu as liars. He was right, in a sense, but he believed lies and deceit were cowards' tools, dishonourable and to be looked down upon.

Omo's right hand man, or woman, in this case, was Yuugi Hoshiguma. She was not as large or muscular as other male Oni, but her strength was unnaturally superior to the rest. This was because she was one of the Devas of the Mountain, not Mount Yatsugatake, but Mount Ooe. Yuugi was one of the four subordinates of the great Oni lord of Mount Ooe, Shuten-doji. Of course, Shuten-doji is dead now, and Mount Ooe devoid of Oni. Where the other three Devas were, Shin did not know.

Shin both liked and loathed Omo. The man was intelligent enough, for an Oni, but Omo would never see the value of a good lie. That was why he loathed Omo. He liked Omo because he was a fool who believed in truth and honour so much that it was so easy to get information regarding him.

For Yuugi, Shin felt indifferent. He knew Tenma resented her, but that was a personal quarrel that Tenma brought upon himself. Shin had no quarrel or resentment toward Yuugi. In fact, he had a certain admiration for her straightforward and firm personality, while being still being a clever individual; clever on the Oni level, that is, which is to say, not very clever at all.

"Oni Omo, my lord," Tenma addressed, mockingly, though not quite enough for the Oni's wits to detect the insult, "It has indeed been quite some time since the last meeting. I look forward to sharing important information that I have gathered from these recent events."

"You look forward to sharing your lies, you mean," Omo laughed, then turned his gaze to Shin, "Shin Kakusu! You like listening to whispers and rumours; tell me, is it true what they say about Tenma?"

"What do 'they' say about Tenma, my lord?" Shin asked.

"Hahaha! They say he is really a woman! If it's true, he's the ugliest woman I've ever seen."

Tenma sighed, and answered, "The rumours are false, I'm afraid. The man in front of you is, in fact, a man. Though, it would be interesting if I could transform into a woman for a day. Oh, the things I could do!"

"If I may speak," Shin interrupted, "I believe it is best we stop this banter and start this council in earnest. There are threats to the mountain that we need to discuss."

"Banter?" Yuugi coughed, "I'd call it insolence, what your boss is doing. You are right, though, Shin. My lord Omo, we should start."

"Very well," the Oni king declared, "Tenma, it was you who asked the council to meet and talk about these 'threats.' You start."

"You all know what's happened on the grass flatlands east of the mountain," Tenma started.

"Yes, yes," Haiiro interrupted, "A Human Village appeared out of thin air; it's not the first time something like this has happened. You remember that western mansion that materialized near the Misty Lake? The one they're calling Soureiyashiki, the 'Poltergeist Mansion,' where one can hear music but no one playing?"

"I believe the circumstances are different this time," Kuro argued, "that mansion materialized here because it was transferred from somewhere else in the world. The village is a completely different matter; the mansion had no living beings with it. This is a living, thriving human village. More like the village was just hidden all this time."

"Hidden? For what purpose?" Haiiro questioned, "And by whom? The Gap Hag?"

"She does seem to be the prime suspect," Midori added, "Hiding a village is definitely something she would do. But why?"

"She's old and mischievous," Yuugi answered, "It could just be a trick of hers."

"Oh yes," Tenma replied sarcastically, "A village full of living, breathing, humans appears; it must be a prank by the Gap Hag! Such a shame, the nickname we gave her, though, for all her beauty."

"I think we call her that because she's old and grumpy," Kuro remarked.

"She's still a beauty," Tenma replied. "Anyway, Shin, do you think we can find her?"

"Find Yukari Yakumo?" Shin asked, "You know that's impossible, even for me. She naps during the summer and hibernates during the winter; nobody knows where she lives, except her Shikigami perhaps, but even she is difficult to find. And when we do find her, she will say that she knows nothing and her master had ordered not be awoken."

"Can't we make this Shikigami talk?" Midori asked.

"I wouldn't even try to make a Kitsune talk, Midori," Shin answered, "Much less an eight-tailed Kitsune. Yukari is so powerful that even her Shikigami is probably more powerful than any of us."

"Enough of this about the Gap Hag and her minions," The Oni King ordered, "If it's her doing, so be it. She's the one that hides Gensokyo, remember? What about the village?!"

Shin spoke up immediately, "It's normal, for a human village of this time, except that it probably has the ability to disappear and re-appear."

"I doubt Yukari is behind this," added Tenma, "Like you said, my lord, She hides Gensokyo from the outside world, no more, no less."

"You spoke of threats, Tenma," Yuugi called out, "What threat is this village to us?"

"None," Tenma smirked.

The Kappa and the Oni all shook their heads, believing for a second that this was just another prank by Tenma.

"None yet," Tenma added, much to the surprised of the council. "The real threat is beyond Gensokyo itself. Shin, please elaborate."

"Allow me to explain," Shin spoke, "I have heard the whispers from beyond the Mayohiga Pass. There is a peasant rebellion in progress on the other side of the mountains to the East. Unfortunately, this rebellion has failed, and the Imperial Army is pushing westward, toward the mountains, hunting down the fleeing rebels."

Yuugi was muttering something to the Oni King, while the three Kappa were whispering among themselves.

"So?" Haiiro laughed, "What does that have to do with our mountain? If you haven't forgotten, those mountains and this mountain are entirely different things."

"You've much knowledge, but little foresight, Kappa," Tenma snapped, "The rebels are fleeing toward Mayohiga, and the Imperial Army will follow."

Shins nodded and saw that the Oni and Kappa had stopped and were focused on the Tengu. Shin then continued, "The Gensokyo Veil stretches only to Mayohiga, after which, the illusion fades messily, making it obvious that a magical barrier had been passed. Should the Imperial Japanese Army discover that, they will find us, and destroy us."

"How are you so sure, Kakusu?" inquired the Oni King.

"How am I sure?" Shin repeated, "The Meiji government has been hunting Youkai since its creation sixteen years ago, and before that, the Tokugawa Shogunate had been doing likewise for nearly a hundred years. Or have you forgotten what has led us three, Oni, Tengu, and Kappa, to band together on this mountain? Desperation, my lord."

"He speaks true," Tenma added, "We are an endangered folk, not just us, but all Youkai. Gensokyo is our last refuge, and if Japan's government finds it, we are doomed."

There was silence in the council chamber, Shin noted. Tenma eyed Omo as if he were expecting the Oni King to make a proud boast about how they would defeat them in battle as many times need be, but there was none. They were all clever enough to understand: Tenma was not a liar this time.

"Can we fight?" Kuro asked.

"We can," Tenma replied, "but we will lose, eventually."

"The 'proud' Tengu," Yuugi declared, "He has no faith in the strength of the Youkai!"

"I have faith in the strength of Youkai, she-Oni," Tenma replied, "Faith in the strength we had a thousand years ago, five hundred years ago, and two hundred years ago even. Now, we are too few, and our powers are fading, slowly, but they are, make no mistake."

"What makes you say this, Tengu?" Midori asked.

"My wolves are losing the ability of flight, my crows cannot fly as fast as they could, and our wind magic is weakening," Tenma admitted, "Oni, when was the last time you lay down on a cloud, or shape-shifted, or flew?"

Yuugi's answer was silence. The Kappa looked at each other.

"I can only assume our physical abilities are waning as well," Tenma added, "Not just our magic powers."

"That means human bullets and cannons will hurt more," Shin remarked, "they will damage you more, and they will kill more. That and the fact that their weapons outrange ours, and their superior numbers, as our Kappa friends had argued earlier."

"We can still fight!" the Oni King declared, "Once we close the distance with them, they will be massacred at sword range. Death will be all around them once our charge connects with their armies. They will run to their mothers."

"Yes, and several thousand more will return," Tenma rebuked, "and you plan to charge their formations as well? To close the distance means charging into their guns; charging into their guns means countless Youkai dead. It's folly."

"What would you do, then, Tenma?" The King asked.

"Hide."

The two Oni burst into laughter, and the Kappa sneered in disappointment.

"Allow me to explain," Tenma then added, "That human village is the key."

"You're a coward, Tenma," Yuugi roared.

"Coward, is it? Survivalist is a better term. Look around you, Oni. I am the last of the Tengu Bosses, because I know which fights to fight, and which to run from. I think like a Tengu all the time. The other Tengu bosses destroyed each other and allowed themselves to be destroyed because they forgot who they were when a superior opponent threatened them. They chose to die, wastefully. I remembered what I was. I led the last of the Tengu here so that we can survive and prosper again. I will not have all we have worked for go to waste."

Shin knew Tenma's story. They all did, but they usually came to forget. Tenma was a Tengu through and through, and for thousands of years, he's led his Tengu clan, out-living all the other Tengu Bosses, until eventually, he dropped the name of his clan and just called them "Tengu," because they were the last of their kind, because he was not afraid to fight a war unconventionally. Tengu were mischievous tricksters, yes, but most Tengu clans were very conventional in war. He fought his wars the same way he sowed discord and mischief, and for that he relied heavily on his Information Corps. On Shin.

"Go on, then," Haiiro insisted, "You mentioned the village?"

"Yes," Tenma nodded. "The humans of the village fear the Youkai; that we know. That probably means they hate us in general, but as far as that goes, it's because of feral man-eating Youkai that attack and raid them."

"Doubtless this is most likely the reason why it was hidden," Shin added, "They have had no contact with the Youkai of the Mountain yet."

"Let me guess," Kuro spoke up, "You want to form an alliance with the human village, convincing them that we of Youkai Mountain are not man-eating Youkai that they are used to, but civilized folk, interested in mutual trade and friendship, to make them see us as allies, to be treasured and protected, so that when the Imperials stumble into this valley, the human village, which is in close proximity to the Mayohiga road, they will deny existence of the Youkai in this area, or at least in Youkai Mountain, deceiving the Imperial Forces and hopefully convincing them to leave."

"You are a clever one, Marsh Director." Shin complimented.

"Thank you, but I already anticipated such an opportunity," the Marsh Kappa explained, "Humans are good for business and trade, and I've already begun preparations to begin a business venture there."

"Excellent," Tenma stated, "I hope you get your friendliest Kappa for this assignment. And by friendliest, I also mean friendliest-looking."

"Oh yes," Kuro added, "They'll be led by Nitori Kawashiro. She's a cute one; a little shy, perhaps, but very friendly."

"We'll need King Omo's permission, of course," Shin reminded them.

Omo nodded, and then declared, "I approve of Kuro's venture, and the Tengu's notion of forming an alliance with the village."

"And the Imperial Army?" Tenma asked.

"Not yet. I need to know more, Tenma."

Tenma nodded, and turned to Kuro, "Marsh Director, when can this venture be ready?"

"By the end of the next week; there are many preparations—"

"Not good enough. We'll need to sneak a few Crows into the village today, Shin."

"Very good, sir," Shin replied, "Three Crows, their leader Aya Shameimaru, wings hidden and appropriately disguised in human clothing, will approach the village from the Mayohiga road, and enter, under the guise of refugees. They will learn all they can, and return tomorrow."

Tenma nodded.

"You've planned all this already, I see," the Oni King approved. "When can they set out?"

Shin smirked,

"Why, they should be at the village right now."


	6. The Human Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/tTB3X31HKAw

The three Tengu were walking on the snow-covered Mayohiga road, one male and two females, dressed as common farmers. Aya led the other two, who were walking side-by-side behind her.

They flew high around the village, behind the mountains, and landed somewhere in the forested area adjacent to the road at the entrance of the valley. After landing, they hid their wings and, in the now, quickly changed into their disguises. Aya wore black boots, brown trousers, and a dark brown coat over a white shirt. The female Crow behind her wore a farmer's outfit: brown pants, and a brown winter coat over a white shirt, and a triangular straw hat covering her head. The male wore a simple dark kimono under a winter coat.

Aya sighed. Shin Kakusu had assigned her to an intelligence-gathering operation several days ago. Shin deduced that Aya had the most knowledge of the village among all the Crows, considering she wrote an article about its appearance, so Shin asked Aya to capitalize on her success and learn more.

The operation was so hastily organized that she didn't even get to choose her companions. Shin only assigned the two to Aya this morning. It was only when they caught sight of the village that Aya remembered that she didn't even know the names of the two Tengu behind her.

"Wait," Aya ordered as she stopped walking, "Names?"

The female removed her straw hat to show her face, tied dark-brown hair, and brown eyes.

"My name's Hatate Himekaidou."

The male raised his head and mumbled, "Yuji."

"Right," Aya declared, "Hatate and Yuji. I'm Aya; Good to meet you, now let's organize everything proper before we go in there. "

"If anyone asks," she continued, "we're siblings. I'm Yukari, and I'm the eldest. Yuji, you'll be the second. Your name will be Ran. Hatate will be the little sister; Hatate, your name is Chen."

"Chen?!" Hatate coughed.

"Yes: Chen. I heard that Ran, Yukari Yakumo's Shikigami, keeps a Shikigami called Chen."

"A Shikigami with a Shikigami?" Yuji asked, "You really think she's that powerful, Aya?"

"First of all, it's Yukari," Aya corrected, "and second, yes, she is."

"What if someone who asks us our names knows the Yakumo 'family'?" Hatate asked.

"Say that we aren't sure whether it's pure coincidence or if our parents named us after them, because we don't know who our parents are. We were raised by an uncle who owned a farm in Chichibu. We're fleeing the rebellion. We were—"

"I think that's a deep enough story, Aya," Yuji interrupted, "If we're lucky, they'll just let us through. It's not like they're going to ask our life story just to let us in."

"Alright, alright," Aya shrugged, "Come on, let's go."

The three continued trudging on the road, which had not been shoveled for a fair while; the snow was thicker beyond the road, where no shoveling had been done at all. They walked past the area where the rice paddies would be if it weren't winter. The village was protected by a five feet high dirt wall that only went around half of the village's perimeter; the other half was encircled by a six foot high wooden palisade. The Tengu could see the snow covered roofs from the outside.

Aya flew around the village several times before, and managed to count the number of entrances: Two small wooden gates along the palisade, and the two large gaps on opposite ends of the village, between where the palisade ended and the dirt wall started. These were the main entrances, as the gates could only fit one person at a time; the open gaps on the walls could fit a carriage or two.

The gaps were also the most heavily guarded. Aya noted six men watching the gap: four riflemen and two swordsmen, all dressed in winter coats.

"You deal with them," ordered an older rifleman to a young guard that spotted. The leader then took the four other men and began a patrol around the village. Excellent, Aya thought.

"Chen," Aya called, addressing Hatate, "You're pretty; how well can you seduce a man?"

"What?!" she exclaimed, "No way! I… to be honest… I can do that pretty well."

"Good. If it comes to it, I'll mention 'my sister.' Oh, and act as innocent as possible. He'll suspect us even more if I mention you and you suddenly act like a slut."

"Oh," Hatate replied, looking at the guard, "He's fairly handsome and innocent-looking; this should be easy."

The three Tengu approached the entrance to the village and were stopped the young rifleman. Aya kept her cool. They won't suspect a thing, she thought.

"I've never seen you three here before," the guard called, "State your business."

"We're from Chichibu, fleeing the war," Aya told the guard, "It's too cold up in Mayohiga; we were thinking of staying here for a few nights."

"This valley isn't a place I'd choose to spend a night," the guard laughed, "Not with all the Youkai around here. Anyone with sense would endure the cold than risk being taken by Youkai. Are you sure you want to spend a night here?"

"Yes," Aya answered.

"I'm sorry," the guard sighed, "I don't think you know what you're getting into here; Keine wouldn't approve of us letting more Youkai food in. The village is already a feast on a silver platter and we don't want more refugees; they just make platter look tastier, she says."

"My little sister is freezing up there," Aya told him, "Will you deny her just one or two warm nights?"

The guard looked at Hatate as she removed her straw hat, feigning an innocent, yet seductive smile as she pretended to shiver from the cold. The guard stared at her.

"She's an innocent, young girl," Yuji said, "Are you going to let her freeze?"

"P-please," Hatate begged to the guard, as she walked towards him and held his hand. She smiled again.

The guard blushed and smiled, "Oh, alright. Go on in."

Aya and Yuji walked past the guard, while Hatate was still holding the guard's hand.

"You're cute," Hatate said to him, smiling, as she let go and started walking. She stopped a second later and turned to the guard again.

"Hold on," Hatate called, "What is this village called?"

"The Human Village," he answered.

"Really?" Hatate asked.

"Yes, really."

"Well, alright. See you later!" Hatate winked to the guard before running back to Aya and Yuji.

The other two Tengu were standing in the middle of the village square, observing the townsfolk and the town. Kids were shoveling the snow or running around throwing snow at each other, old women were gossiping by one of the houses, and different men and women, merchants and other dealers, were selling their wares all about the place.

"I can't believe you made me do that," Hatate fumed as she walked to Aya.

"Why are you so angry?" Aya asked, "You seemed to be enjoying it."

"It was acting," Hatate replied, "Though he was fairly good looking. Besides, you could've done it yourself; you were already in front of him."

"I could've done it myself, yes," Aya repeated, "But I am in charge here, and I decided otherwise."

"Well," Hatate said, "I did more than just flirt with him you know."

Yuji and Aya burst into laughter.

"You went that far?" Aya giggled, "I'm starting to wonder if I'm still the fastest in Gensokyo!"

Hatate blushed. "That's not what I meant!" she snapped. "I asked him for the name of the village!"

"Really? What is it then?" asked Aya.

"The Human Village."

"They call this human village, 'The Human Village?' Really?" Yuji asked Hatate.

"They aren't known for their imagination, Yu— I mean… Ran," replied Hatate, "And it's not like there are any other human villages around here…"

"Are you sure that's the name, though?" asked Aya.

"The guard seemed to think so," Hatate confirmed, "I asked him twice."

"Alright," Aya declared, "Let's stop wasting time. We'll split up. Ran will go to the tavern. Chen, you'll come with me around the market."

"What do I do in the tavern?" Yuji asked.

"What do people usually do at taverns?" Aya snapped, "Drink! And listen to gossip! That's the best way to get information without asking."

"Right," Yuji said.

"We'll find you when we're done," Aya assured.

Aya and Hatate went around the town square as Yuji went off to find the village's tavern. The two bought some food and a pair of slippers along the way to make it at least look like the two were shopping.

Aya had hoped they'd be able to enjoy themselves with a bit of shopping while asking around the market area, but the place was dreary and smelly. There were few shoppers at this hour, and several of the shops were closed. It was winter and most of the residents chose to keep most of the clothing and food they'd manufactured for themselves.

'The Human Village,' Aya had finally confirmed by asking several shopkeepers, was self reliant, except for regular trade with the village of Mayoiga, located in the Mayoiga mountain pass. The two villages traded and exchanged supplies often, but this winter was different. Mayoiga had ceased its trade recently, Aya had discovered, because Mayoiga was supporting a revolution in the outside world, and the village was preparing itself for a siege.

If the Imperial Forces were to discover Gensokyo by going to Mayoiga, it could spell the end of the Youkai Mountain. But she was sure Shin Kakusu already knew that. She was here to learn about this village. She won't stray from her mission.

Aya and Hatate were walking alongside each other, carrying their bags. They were about to leave the markets when they heard a woman's voice calling out.

"Excuse me!" the voice shouted. It was a young woman, Aya assumed, in her 20s, most like.

"Excuse me, ladies!" the voice called again.

The two Tengu turned their heads to see who was calling. The young woman calling to them had long, silver hair with blue highlights, strange for a human, Aya thought, if the woman even was a human.

Aya and Hatate stopped and turned around wait for the woman to catch up with them. Had they been found out? They wouldn't be able to prove it, though, the way they're disguised and with the background stories they had fabricated.

The woman caught up to them. She wore a winter boots, a blue dress under a brown winter coat, and carried a strange piece of headwear on her left hand that looked like some sort of eastern building with a red ribbon on the top.

"Apologies," the woman began, "I couldn't help but notice you two have been asking questions about the village."

"Yes," Aya replied, "We came down from Mayohiga to escape the cold. We're curious about the village."

"Escape the cold?" the woman replied, "I see. Well, if you're curious, there's no one better to ask but me; I work with the village administrator and I know the entire history of this village and I am quite knowledgeable in the other aspects of it as well."

"That sounds great," Hatate answered, "Where can we talk?"

"Let's head to the village's administration building," the woman replied, "I'll lead the way. Follow me; it's just on the other side of the town square."

Aya and Hatate followed the woman back across the square. Aya seemed skeptical, but it would seem suspicious if she denied the help of a kind stranger who offered them information on the village. Looking back to when the woman was calling them, it seemed the other residents had a positive outlook on this person.

"Why is this place called 'The Human Village,'" Hatate asked, "It doesn't seem like a very creative name."

"You see," the woman replied, "Look around. This is a village with humans in it. It's the only village of its kind in Gensokyo."

Aya sighed, then asked, "But couldn't they at least give it a less generic name? I mean, they named Mayohiga."

"We don't have time to think of a name," the woman answered, "We have more pressing matters, like protecting the village from Youkai. And it's Mayoiga. Mayohiga is the archaic pronunciation."

The trio reached the administration building, a two-story office-type structure, where two guards stood watch at the front entrance. Aya was convinced that this was indeed the administration building, and not some death trap; she observed several workers writing and doing other forms of paperwork, a farmer complaining to an official, and a few guards. If they wanted to kill the Tengu, they wouldn't do it here.

The woman took them into what seemed to be an empty office room, save for a bookshelf and a few chairs. When the woman beckoned the two Tengu inside, Aya and Hatate followed, where they were greeted by several armed guardsmen, pointing their rifles at the two Tengu.

The woman closed the door behind them.

"What are you doing?!" Aya fumed at the woman, "Who are you?!"

"Keine Kamishirasawa, protector and administrator of the Human Village."

Keine smirked when she saw the looks on the two Tengu's faces. "And what about you two?"

"My name is Yukari," Aya mumbled, "and this is my sister, Chen."

Keine burst into laughter.

"Yes," Keine replied, "And your companion in the tavern is your brother, and his name is Ran."

Hatate gasped, "How did you-"

"There's a reason I am the protector of this village, Tengu. It's because I know things, and I know people. People like Yukari Yakumo, Ran Yakumo, and their 'cat,' Chen."

"We're not Tengu," Aya snapped, "How dare you make baseless accusations to innocent-"

"How dare I protect my village?" Keine interrupted, "Baseless accusations? Innocent? Innocent spies? Shin Kakusu is a clever crow, but as protector of the village, it is my duty to spot the differences, the quirks, the features that separate human from Youkai."

"Aya Shameimaru," Aya addressed herself, "and this is Hatate Himekaidou. Our companion is called Yuji."

"See," Keine pointed out, "That wasn't so hard." Keine gestured to guards and they exited the room.

"Behave," Keine commanded, "And Shin will get all the information he needs, and his spies back alive."

"Now," she continued, "What did you want to know?"


	7. Across the Pass

10 November, 1884, Meiji 17. Minano, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture, Empire of Japan

Hayato walked along the right side of Minano's main road. Across the street, a platoon of Imperial infantrymen marched in the opposite direction. Several horses also galloped past, some hauling artillery. The town fell to the Imperial advance with ease and most of the structures were untouched.

The town was not as large as Yorii, but Minano was much closer to the Yatsugatake Mountains, and the more open area around the town was an excellent staging area for the ascent of the Mayoiga Pass. The Ara River also flowed on the west edge of the town, and Minano had at least two fixed bridges, meaning more troops could be moved across in less time.

Only a handful of rebels remained when Imperial forces swept through the town on the 4th of November, much to the disdain of Colonel Saito Fukazawa and Major Harada, who were expecting the Komminto leaders to make their final stand here. Instead, they had learned that they had fled north with their remaining strength, in a vain effort to gather more support from the Gunma Prefecture.

Saito was furious and demanded Major Harada send forces to pursue the rebels immediately; he couldn't begin preparations for his main operation while a large party of rebels roamed the countryside. On the 7th of November, Harada's trooped found and engaged the rear of the rebel forces, but they escaped. Only two nights ago, on the 8th were they spotted again, this time by a company of police forces armed with rifles by the army. They drove the rebels back south, and yesterday Harada had dispatched a force from Azusayama to intercept and crush them once and for all.

Hayato stopped for a moment when he felt something cold touch his nose. Immediately, he realized it had begun to snow.

Lieutenant Hayato continued walking on the road until he made it to the town office, where Colonel Saito placed his new headquarters. There were several junior officers and enlisted army men in the office, all doing different tasks.

"Lieutenant Hayato," addressed one of the other lieutenants, "The colonel is expecting you."

"Thank you," Hayato replied as he removed his hat and made his way through the crowded town office to Colonel Saito's quarters.

Hayato opened the door to find Saito and several other officers conversing around a table.

"Ahh, Hayato," Saito welcomed, "You look cold. Have some wine."

Saito poured some wine into a small glass and handed it to Hayato. He took it and sipped the drink.

"Thank you, sir," Hayato smiled, "It's started snowing."

Saito looked at his other officers for a second.

"That's not good," Saito replied, "It will make the ascent of the pass more difficult."

Hayato finished the wine and put the glass down on the table to sit down.

"Well, sir, if I may," Hayato started, "The locals say that the pass is relatively simple to ascend, even during winter."

"No mountain pass is simple to move through with two battalions of soldiers with cavalry and artillery," Saito replied.

"The colonel's right," replied a gruf looking army captain, almost as old as Colonel Saito, "Especially with the rebels in Mayoiga firing down on us."

"Oh," Saito remembered, "Hayato, this is Captain Onozawa, my right hand man in the Kujotai ever since they made me its commander after..." Saito paused a moment and exhaled.

"After Shiroyama," Onozawa finished for the colonel.

"Yes," Saito added, "After the battle at Shiroyama."

Hayato noticed that Saito was uncomfortable with the word. Only several days ago, Saito had a conversation with Major Harada and the colonel referenced the Battle of Shiroyama with impunity. Now he paused or stuttered whenever he had to mention the word, 'Shiroyama,' which he now rarely ever spoke.

"Sir?" Hayato asked, "Are you alright?"

"Apologies, lieutenant," Saito answered, "The flashbacks are becoming more... pronounced... But I digress; did you get the letter, Hayato?"

Hayato reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, which he presented to Saito.

"Open it," Saito ordered, "Oh, Captain, this is Lieutenant Hayato Morichika, the newest member of our organization."

The lieutenant cut open the envelope with a nearby envelope opener and unfolded the paper inside.

It was an update from Major Harada. The Army troops dispatched from Azusayama had found and destroyed the rebel force. With the survivors routed and scattered, their leaders fleeing or captured, all that was left were isolated groups and individuals around the Chichibu towns. The rebellion was over.

"That's excellent news!" Captain Onozawa howled, "It's time to gather our strength and move out! I'm itching to kill some Youkai!"

Saito nodded, and replied, "There's still the village of Mayoiga. Who knows how much the rebels have fortified that pass? We'll need to make preparations."

"Bah!" Onozawa scoffed, "Well, at least the easy part is over. Things only get exciting from now on."

"Captain," Saito called, "Maybe you can lead a scouting party up the pass? Find the village and see how well defended it is?"

Onozawa laughed, "Hahaha! Yes, that sounds perfect. Maybe we'll get ambushed on the way there, and I'll finally get to kill something!"

"Eager for battle as always, Onozawa," Saito smirked, "I'll give fifty riflemen to your command. Set out tomorrow... and take Lieutenant Hayato with you."

"Sir?" Hayato asked.

"Yes, Hayato," Saito acknowledged, "I need you to have more field experience. Under Captain Onozawa, you will get plenty. Oh, and there's also this..."

Saito took a small box out from under his desk and presented it to Hayato.

Hayato took it and opened it to find two lieutenant's stars.

"Just stick them beside the ones you already have. Congratulations, First Lieutenant."

* * *

11 November, 1884, Meiji 17. Minano, Chichibu District, Saitama Prefecture, Empire of Japan.

The morning was still dark and deep when Hayato was awoken by a sound from another room. A shout, it sounded like. Rebels? It couldn't be. Not with over a thousand men garrisoned around the town. Hayato decided he might as well get ready. Captain Onozawa would probably be awake by now anyway.

Hayato quickly slipped into his uniform and walked out of his quarters to the lobby of the headquarters, where he found Colonel Saito sitting uncomfortably on one of the benches, drinking coffee.

"First Lieutenant," he croaked at Hayato, his voice still raspy from waking up early.

"Sir?"

"Come. Sit."

Hayato went to the colonel and sat himself beside Saito.

"Nightmares again, sir?"

"The same one, Hayato. It's getting more vivid, the closer we get to Gensokyo."

Hayato frowned. If Saito couldn't keep himself together during the actual offensive on Gensokyo, the whole operation would collapse.

"How can we make it better?"

"When we go into battle with the Youkai, it will get better."

"Or worse," Hayato commented, "I want to know for sure, sir."

"I don't know, Hayato," Saito admitted, "But don't worry about me. The offensive will go as planned."

The doors of the headquarters swung open, and a cold chill swept through the building; it had snowed through the night, and it was still snowing now. Captain Onozawa marched through, wearing only slacks and his undershirt, sweating from head to toe. The middle-aged veteran of the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion still looked in top physical shape.

"Colonel Saito, Hayato," the captain nodded at them, "I just got back from my early morning run. You've got to keep your blood pumping!"

"Are your men ready to move out, captain?" Saito asked.

"Like hell they are! I'm going to wake them up myself!" Onozawa looked at Hayato.

"At least the first lieutenant's up on time. That one will make a damn good Youkai slayer, one day."

Saito managed a faint smile, and so did Hayato.

"I hope you leave before sunrise, captain," Saito reminded.

"Don't worry, boss. Just let me take a damn bath first!" Onozawa laughed, "First Lieutenant Morichika! Remember when I said I was going to wake up those men myself?"

"Yes, sir!"

"I lied. You wake them up. Double time!"

"Yes, sir!" Hayato repeated with more fervor, "Colonel, I will take my leave now."

Saito nodded, "Don't die. That's an order."

Hayato nodded and made his way out to wake up the soldiers. They were all assembled and ready in thirty minutes, a company of fifty riflemen, plus Hayato and the captain, and as ordered, Onozawa set out just before sunset.

They left Minano, and by now the sun was rising in the east. The soldiers noticed that the snows last night had blanketed much of the countryside in thin snow. It wasn't much, but it did change the scenery quite a bit.

Later during the march, Hayato spurred his horse beside Captain Onozawa.

"Sir, how long will it take us to get to the pass?" Hayato asked.

Onozawa answered, "If we're lucky, we'll reach the foot of the mountains at the end of the day, Lieutenant. There we'll make camp and ascend the pass tomorrow morning."

"What about the refugees and rebels we pass along the way?"

"We turn the refugees around, telling them that the rebellion is over, and that the emperor has pardoned the survivors. They can return to their homes... The rebels, we kill on sight."

"How do we tell rebels from refugees?"

"That's easy!" Onozawa laughed, "You don't. We just treat all of them as Rebels. If they're running, it means they are against the Emperor. If they are against the Emperor, they are traitors and will be treated as such."

"Makes sense, sir," Hayato sullenly agreed, "How treacherous is the path during the colder winter months?"

"It's our job to find out, lieutenant. Any other questions?"

"Yes, actually," Hayato replied, "Just one more."

"Spit it out, then, boy."

"The nightmare the colonel has been having... it's recurring, and has been intensifying for the past week. He mentioned that he hasn't had the nightmare since a few years ago."

"Ahh," Onozawa nodded, "Well, Morichika, normally I make fun of men who have nightmares of war, but the colonel was different."

"How so?"

"The nightmare he's having is the Battle of Shiroyama, boy. 500 Samurai charged down the hill, into the thousands of imperial troops advancing on them. Thousands of imperial soldiers were killed in that bloodbath. The battle was won, as we all know, but Saito was never the same after that. He was one of the officers in the front lines. He's seen things in that battle, Hayato. Evil things. I will speak no more of it."

Onozawa spurred his horse forward, and shouted, "Double time, you lazy shits! Mayoiga isn't going to find itself! Forward!"

The company began advancing twice as fast, marching uncontested through the roads until they reached the foot of the Yatsugatake Mountains at sunset. The mouth of the pass was empty, though on one side of the road, there were signs of camps littered here from days ago, rebels also staying the night at the foot of the mountains before moving up the pass.

Hayato and Onozawa surveyed the campsite.

"It looks like they left earlier today," Hayato inferred.

"There could be more on the way," Onozawa added, "5th squad, you will remain and stop any more rebels from entering this pass while we ascend it tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!" The sergeant of 5th squad saluted.

"It'll be dark soon," Hayato announced, "1st through 3rd squads, make camp where the rebels left. 4th and 5th, set up on the other side of the road."

"You heard him," Onozawa shouted to the men, "Get to it! I want this camp up in five minutes!"

Onozawa turned to Hayato and signalled him to follow. They went and quickly set up the command tent, after which they had a modest supper of steamed rice and pork. They went on to discuss their next actions.

"Morichika," addressed Onozawa as he went over an old map, "As much as I'd like to be with the sharpshooters in the front of the advance, our orders are not to be killed, so we'll be with 2nd squad during the ascent of the pass."

"Understood, sir," Hayato affirmed, "Will we be bringing horses?"

Onozawa nodded, "We'll bring three, one of each of us, and a spare in the rear. When we find Mayoiga and measure its defences, we'll send riders back to the camp at once, where they'll transfer horses and ride with all haste to Minano with our reports."

"What do you think we'll be facing up there?" Hayato asked.

"Hell if I know," Onozawa replied, "If we're lucky, a few idiots with swords and spears."

"We haven't been that lucky so far," pointed out Hayato.

"Exactly, which is why we have forty men, armed with new Murata rifles, to accompany us. Now, get some sleep. We have a rough morning climb ahead of us."

The night passed quickly. When Hayato awoke, it was cold and quiet. The sun had not yet risen but the sky was no longer black but a dark blue. He quickly put his winter coat over his uniform. Stepping out of the tent, he noticed that more snow had fallen last night, and was still falling now.

Soldiers were quietly readying for the ascent of the pass. Most of them were around the fires. Hayato spied Captain Onozawa readying the horses. Several sentries were posted around the camp, and Hayato noticed two of them were asleep.

"First Lieutenant," called a soldier, saluting as he approached.

"What is it, private?"

"Captain Onozawa instructed me to direct you to him as soon as you were awake."

"Very well, then," Hayato replied, following the soldier to Onozawa.

Onozawa was with a few soldiers, still preparing the horses. He finished strapping the saddle on one of the stallions, and was about to move on to the last horse when he saw Hayato.

"Here," Onozawa offered the saddle to Hayato, "This last horse is your gelding, right?"

Hayato took the saddle .

"Yes, it is," answered Hayato as he started to get the saddle strapped onto his horse.

Onozawa nodded and advised Hayato, "You'd be better off getting a stallion for the trip to Gensokyo."

"Oh?" Hayato replied as he finished strapping on the saddle, "I've noticed both you and Colonel Saito prefer to ride stallions. Why is that?"

"Some think that it's a show of pride, that we do this to prove we are stronger and more skilled than other men. Yes, the stallion is more stubborn and headstrong; harder to tame and wilder by nature," Onozawa started, grinning.

"But that's not the reason," he continued, with Hayato listening intently, "Youkai are demons, magical creatures, and they frighten the natural animals. Horses will rear and lose control in the presence of Youkai, so the Kujotai ride the bravest horses; stallions don't give up as easy as the rest."

"That's actually very smart," said Hayato, wondering if he should switch his gelding for a stallion later on.

"You can't beat the Youkai with strength alone," Onozawa told him, "because the Youkai will always be stronger. They won't always be smarter, however."

The two finished up, leading their horses out of the camp and towards the foot of the mountain, where the rest of the soldiers were assembling.

Onozawa assigned the best mountaineers and sharpshooters of the platoon into 1st squad; they were to lead the way into the pass. They were led by Sergeant Kaza, who was a mountaineer and hunter before he joined the army.

"Kaza!" called Captain Onozawa, "Is your squad ready to move?"

"Yes, captain!" the sergeant answered.

"Advance. We'll be right behind you."

"Yes, sir! Scouts; let's move!"

Hayato, fastened his sword belt, mounted his horse, and then made sure his revolver was loaded. Onozawa walked beside Hayato and handed him a carbine rifle and a satchel with ammunition.

"That's a Murata Type 16; she's a carbine: less accurate than the Type 13, but lighter, shorter and better for horseback."

As Hayato loaded a round into the carbine, Onozawa quickly got on his horse as well and turned to face the rest of the platoon.

"We're going up the mountains today, boys!" Onozawa said to the soldiers, "So enjoy the view, watch your step, and kill all the damn whoresons that get in our way! Tenno Heika Banzai!"

"Banzai!" the platoon shouted back.

"Let's go!" Onozawa shouted, rearing his horse before galloping forward.

Hayato and the rest of the platoon quickly followed, and began their ascent of the Mayoiga pass. The mountain pass started a little wide and low; was very easy to traverse. As they ascended, there was little difference. The pass seemed to ascend and descend at points, keeping their altitude at a constant average, but the road winded around and between several mountains, so it was difficult to see where you were headed next.

The path was only dangerous in some places, with very few narrow paths or steep drops, which the 1st squad had marked for the engineers to fix later on. The scouts also marked obstacles that would hinder or block the movement of horse-drawn carts or artillery.

All in all, the pass was nothing special. It did not go too high up the mountains, so it could still be traversed even when the winter intensifies in the coming months, but the trip would be slightly more treacherous.

Two hours into the journey and the sun was up. The platoon was making an ascent up a slightly narrow path, though still wide enough for manoeuvring. There were rocks blocking most visibility up the path, but the path had no falls, just the mountains blocking either side.

"It's 7 in the morning now," Hayato announced as he viewed his watch, "We should be around half way through the pass by now."

"Ha," Onozawa laughed, "Remember when we had to use that old, confusing clock?"

"You mean the one that used the Zodiac?" Hayato replied, "We switched to the European clock twelve years ago, as I recall, sir. I was still a kid when they changed it; haven't used it since."

"Lucky you; I had to get used to it. Right now, it should be, what, the hour of the—"

The crack of a rifle firing in the distance cut the captain's line short, causing him and Hayato to quickly dismount from their horses.

Hayato, Onozawa, and the others heard, "Shot fired!" shouted from the front of the column.

Three more shots followed, the sounds echoing off the mountains, killing the relative silence of the pass.

"Rebels!" shouted a scout from 1st squad, "We have wounded, sir!"

With that, the sound of more shots began cracking through the pass.

"3rd squad!" Onozawa called, "This path is wide enough for a flanking move. Climb up the side and support 1st squad from there! 4th squad, hold here! Be ready to reinforce or cover our withdrawal. And watch the horses! 2nd squad, with me! Advance! That includes you Hayato!"

3rd squad began manoeuvring around, while 2nd squad advanced forward.

A shot hit and ricocheted off a rock close to Hayato, causing the squad to duck and take cover as they moved.

"The rocks on the left!" shouted Sergeant Kaza from behind his cover. "Fire!"

Another exchange of fire followed.

"Got another one!" exclaimed a sharpshooter from 1st squad.

"Sergeant Morri," Onozawa addressed the 2nd squad leader, "when I give the signal, the squad will pop from cover and open fire on the left. Hayato, you stay down!"

"Sir!" was the men's' reply.

Onozawa waited a few seconds and then heard the crack of an old musket.

"Now! Fire!"

The men of 2nd squad got up and opened fire on the rebels, who were out of their cover and aiming for the men of the 1st squad.

A few screams of pain were heard as several rebels were killed in the volley.

"Quick, reload!" Sergeant Morri ordered, "Fire at will!"

The soldiers quickly ejected the shell casings from their rifles and inserted another bullet into the guns, cocking the bolt back into place, some faster than others, immediately aiming and firing. Their Murata Type 13 single-shot bolt-action rifles were faster and more powerful than the Boshin War-era breech loading muskets and rifles that the rebels were carrying.

A soldier from the 1st squad dragged a wounded soldier behind the rocks where the 1st squad was taking cover. He was groaning in pain.

Pointing at one of his men, Onozawa ordered him to run back to 4th squad and get the platoon's medic.

"Where's he hit?" asked Onozawa.

"The leg, sir," replied the soldier who brought him in.

"Ha! Don't cry, son; you'll make it," Onozawa laughed, and then looked back at the other soldier, "Is he it?"

"Private Go is dead, sir."

"Damn shame. Get back to Sergeant Kaza. We'll cover you!"

As 1st squad continued its fire, a volley of rifle fire opened up above and behind the rebels' positions; 3rd squad had flanked the Rebels.

"Run!" cried one of the rebels, and the survivors broke their cover and made a dash down the path and away from the soldiers. Some of the rebels refused to run, drawing swords and spears, charging at the soldiers before being gunned down in the kill zone between the 1st and 2nd squads.

"They'll alert the town if we let them escape!" Hayato told Sergeant Kaza once they regrouped.

"Agreed," Kaza responded, "1st squad, let's move!"

Onozawa and Hayato rallied the 2nd squad and followed Kaza's men closely up the path.

"Catch up to them, quickly," Sergeant Kaza barked, "Fire! Kill them—"

The crack of a rifle shot and there was a bullet through Kaza's skull. He dropped instantly.

"Shit! Get down, all of you!" Onozawa shouted, "Where did that shot come from!"

"I didn't see it!" replied one of the soldiers. They began firing blindly into the rocks.

Hayato peaked out and another shot was fired, ricocheting of a rock and hitting another soldier in the chest.

"There! The rocks up on the right," Hayato called out, firing at the rebel's position.

"Supressing fire!" Onozawa ordered. The 2nd squad troops focused their fire on the area that Hayato called out, allowing the 1st squad to advance.

"He's running," Sergeant Morri pointed, as he aimed his rifle down at the sharpshooter.

The rebel sharpshooter dashed and dove behind some rocks before Morri had him in his sights.

"Damn it!"

At that moment, more rebels appeared from hiding and fired on the Imperial soldiers, forcing them to take cover once again.

The rebels used the opportunity to retreat, running as fast as they could. The road made a turn around one of the mountains, so the soldiers quickly lost sight of them.

Hayato and the others got up and left the wounded and dead to 3rd and 4th squads as the 1st and 2nd squads advanced cautiously.

They carefully followed the turn in the mountain road.

Hayato eyes dilated, and he swallowed his saliva as he took in what he saw. "Now that's a view…"

The pass opened up and revealed the town of Mayoiga in the centre of the clearing. But while the pass opened up, the road narrowed. The road went along a rather steep mountainside, and went up to the town, which was located on a raised plateau overlooking the road, the town quite large and taking up most of the space on the plateau. There was little to no cover on the road, and there was a stone wall on the edge of the town overlooking the mountain road; effective cover for the rebels.

Onozawa noticed the surviving rebels still running to the town, too far to reach now without being fired upon from the fortified town. He took out his binoculars and observed at least two old cannons aimed down the road, and more rebels with firearms. There were still a large number of civilians, to his dismay.

"Hayato," Onozawa called, "Take your horse and ride back to the camp as quick as you can. Switch horses there and make speed to the Colonel in Minano. Tell him we found the town, and that we'll need to bring reinforcements and artillery up the pass as quickly as possible."

"We're going to have to lay siege to the town, then?"

"With winter about to get worse, we can't afford a long siege. That, and we have no way to cut it off from the other side. We'll have to bombard the town and assault the one entrance."

Hayato gulped, and several of the other soldiers took deep breaths, looking at Onozawa.

Onozawa chuckled at the men.

"If you little girls are done cowering, let me remind you that you're expected to fight an army of vicious, desperate Youkai warriors, and if some angry farmers hiding behind a wall make you piss your pants, you might as well run home to your mothers now."

Hayato smiled, "Still, sir, that town's going to be a tough fight."

"That's nothing," Onozawa replied, "We're going to take that town, and then we're going to march on Gensokyo and get on with the real fighting. Is that right, soldiers?"

A resounding "Yes, sir!" in unison was their answer.


	8. A Kappa Business Venture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/v6S2lBW1eD4

The large, tarp-covered cart trudged slowly along the snow-covered road. Four Youkai were with the cart; three short, one tall. Pushing the cart were two male Kappa, standing 4 and a half feet tall, both wearing insulated winter coats. The younger one had long, messy black hair and black eyes, and had a Kappa rifle hung over his shoulder, while the elder had short green hair with a small beard to match.

Leading the cart was the third Kappa, Nitori Kawashiro. She wore a dark blue winter jacket, and fixed the twintails on her short blue hair as she walked ahead of the cart.

Walking alongside the cart was a Crow Tengu, tall and lean, wearing a jacket with his wings concealed and a hood over his head.

Nitori walked back over to the two Kappa pushing the cart.

"You boys doing alright?" she asked them.

"Are we there yet?" Asked Masao, the older Kappa.

Nitori chuckled.

"You going blind already, old man? It's just ahead! We'll be there in no time."

"Hey boss," whispered Hotaru, the younger Kappa, "Who's the crow?"

The three looked over to the Crow Tengu, who was still walking. Nitori looked back at the two.

"Oh, Kakusu sent one of his crows to accompany us," Nitori explained, "He's supposed to meet with the other crows that went to the village ahead of us. I don't know his name, though. We're probably not supposed to know."

"I heard their cover was blown," added Masao.

"Yeah," Nitori confirmed, "I heard they were found out just as they entered the village."

The three Kappa turned to the Tengu and saw him looking at them. They couldn't make his face out from his hood, but he looked like he had some scars.

"Do you need help pushing the cart?" asked the Tengu in a course voice.

Hotaru started, "Yeah, actually, we're a little tired and all you've been doing is—"

"If you're willing to help," Nitori interrupted.

"Oh, I'm willing. If it gets us to the village sooner, I'm glad to help."

"So we're not stopping for lunch?" Masao grumbled.

Nitori sighed, "Weren't you the one that asked if we were there yet? Anyway, hold on."

Nitori reached into the cart's contents. She pulled out a large blue rucksack, wider and taller than her torso, and strapped it to her back.

"That ought to lighten the load a little!" She said, smiling.

"No wonder the cart was so heavy," Hotaru commented.

"Shut up!"

The four continued to move the cart along the road towards the human village. This part of the road was shovelled out by the humans, and was easier to traverse. Nitori noticed that alongside the road were the areas where the rice paddies would be if it weren't winter.

A guard walked toward them as they approached the village's entrance.

"Stop!" He yelled. Behind him, several other guards watched with their rifles ready.

"Whoa," Nitori said, "What's with the hostile response?"

"What do you think?" Hotaru replied in a snarky tone.

"We're Youkai," added the Tengu, "It's only their natural response to be cautious."

"Drop your weapons!" shouted the guard.

The Tengu took a Tanto dagger from his cloak, both dropped it on the ground. Hotaru did the same with his rifle, while Nitori reached for a hidden pistol in her jacket while Masao pulled a small shotgun from inside the cart. They put those on the ground as well.

"That's everything," Nitori told the guard.

"What's in the cart?" questioned the village guard.

Nitori smiled and pulled the tarp off the cart.

"A whole bunch of stuff: cameras, writing materials, paper, a portable printing press, a stove, electric lights, typewriters, some preserved food, and repair tools. All for sale!"

"We'll have to have it all inspected."

"No problems with that, good sir," Nitori replied, "as long as they aren't tampered with."

The guard told the four to wait there outside the gate. The Youkai pushed the cart to the side of the road and pulled back the tarp. They waited for a good ten minutes before the guard returned to them. Behind him, a few more guards followed and surrounded the cart. Following the guards was a woman with light skin and silver hair with blue highlights, wearing a dark brown winter coat.

The woman observed the four Youkai and their cart glaringly. To Nitori, she looked like she had no emotion whatsoever.

"Remove the tarp from that cart," she ordered.

"Do it," Nitori told the two Kappa.

Hotaru and Masao pulled the tarp back and the woman began inspecting the contents. She stopped suddenly.

"I know that smell," the woman commented. She turned around and asked the Kappa, "Do you know who your Tengu companion is?

"No idea," replied Nitori, "He said Shin Kakusu sent him to go with us."

"Well," the woman replied, "he can fool his Kappa friends, but he can't fool me. Isn't that right, Shin?"

The woman smiled confidently, looking at the hooded Tengu.

The Tengu put his hood back to reveal a bearded, scarred face with black eyes and brown hair. Nitori was even more confused now.

"That looks nothing like Kakusu," Nitori pointed out, "I've seen him before! He looks younger, has no beard, and has no scars!"

"You underestimate him, Kappa girl. You think a Youkai like him can just hide under a hood?"

The three Kappa looked back at the Tengu, who pulled off a prosthetic mask and wig to reveal the clear, pale skin and jet black hair of Shin Kakusu, leader of the Tengu Information Corps.

Shin smirked as he walked beside Nitori and petted her head. "Nitori Kawashiro," he started.

"A thousand people have seen Shin Kakusu before, yet none of them can agree on what he looks like," Shin told her, as he faced the human woman.

"Keine Kamishirasawa, it's been too long," he greeted.

"Not long enough," she replied, "I thought I'd seen the last of you."

"I almost thought so as well. Until I moved to Gensokyo, that is."

"Why are you here, Kakusu?" Keine asked.

Shin gestured to the cart and the three Kappa.

"We're here to build friendship and trade of course. The Youkai of the Mountain are civil and innovative, intelligent and understanding. You have nothing to fear."

"Hmph," Keine grunted, "Intelligent Youkai are the ones to fear the most. Intelligent Youkai are capable of subterfuge and deceit."

"Good point, Keine," Shin nodded, "you are right to fear us the most, but rest assured, Youkai Mountain has noble intentions in mind, for all of us."

"Many would think me a fool to trust a Tengu, a known legend in deceit nonetheless," Keine retorted.

"Harsh words, Keine, but I suppose I am glad that I have to negotiate with someone like you. It just wouldn't be right for me to persuade this village into an unfair agreement, given how desperate we are."

"Desperate?" Keine asked.

"That got your interest didn't it?" Shin smiled, "Let's talk about it inside. I'm sure your men and the Kappa are getting tired of standing in the cold."

The exchange between Shin and Keine seemed so strange to Nitori. There was an air of hostility, but they seemed to be friendly with each other. Nitori didn't understand what exactly was going on.

"Hold on, Shin," Nitori called, "are you going to negotiate for us?"

Kakusu smiled at her.

"No, dear Nitori," he replied, "I'm negotiating something else with Miss Keine on behalf of Boss Tenma. You'll have to handle your business venture on your own."

Keine looked down at Nitori and the Kappa. "Your friends in the town will bring you to the commerce office."

"Friends? In the town?" Nitori asked, confused.

"You'll know when you see them," replied Keine.

Still confused, Nitori nodded in affirmation and led the cart into the human village. About time, she thought.

The village payed little mind to the three Kappa and their cart s they walked past the village's entrance. A few of them looked in curiosity, but most ignored them, as if the Youkai were a common occurrence in the village. Well, Nitori thought, they were technically common, but those were all feral man-eating Youkai. Nitori assumed more people would be curious, suspicious, or hostile to Youkai that didn't attack humans on sight.

It didn't really matter much, though. Nitori thought it would just make it easier for them to negotiate if they treated the Kappa like normal people.

Nitori looked around as she walked. Behind them, Keine and Shin were talking while walking slowly, side by side, in the same direction the Kappa were going. Keine caught Nitori's gaze and directed her finger forward. The commerce office was probably close to wherever Keine's office was.

"I hope we can get some food after this," Hotaru grumbled.

"All you two ever think about is food," Nitori complained.

"Only when I'm outside the lab," Masao chuckled.

As they walked forward, a tall individual in a coat, covering most of his face with a scarf, emerged from the bystanders and halted the three Kappa with a motion of his hand.

"Hey," Masao called, "What do you think you're-"

The man grabbed Masao and held him at the point of a tanto dagger. The crowd began to move away, some of them frightened.

"Whoa, whoa," Nitori tried to calm everyone, but two more figures appeared behind Nitori and Hotaru, and they were grabbed and held at knifepoint well.

Nitori turned her eyes and saw that she and Hotaru were being held up by women, both much taller than the Kappa were.

"Tell me, Kappa," whispered the woman holding Nitori, "What's in the cart?"

Nitori hissed with irritation, recognizing the woman's voice.

"I know your voice anywhere, Shameimaru. What the hell is this about?"

Nitori felt Aya let go of her and then heard laughter from Aya and the other woman, who happened to be Hatate Himekaidou, an aspiring reporter and agent in the Tengu Information Corps. Nitori remembered meeting her once before.

"I can't believe that worked!" howled Hatate with laughter.

Nitori's face flushed red with anger. Aya stopped laughing for a moment and smiled innocently at Nitori.

"You're so cute, Nitori," she said to her.

The third Tengu released Masao and pulled his scarf down from his face. He was smiling but wasn't as amused as the other two.

Aya introduced him as Yuji Yukimoto, another agent of the Information Corps. He bowed slightly to Nitori and shook hands with Masao and Hotaru.

"What was that?" Hotaru asked, regarding the handshake.

"European humans do that when they greet each other formally," Yuji replied, "Peculiar, I know, but oddly fascinating."

"Foreigners are strange," Hotaru concluded.

The group began walking together as soon as the introductions were out of the way. Nitori noticed that Keine and Shin were still talking, some distance behind the cart. They were following it, Nitori thought.

Aya walked alongside Nitori to talk to her.

"So they chose you to lead the trade negotiations," Aya started, "I should've thought so. You have the cutest smile; that alone ought to charm them."

"What was with the attack, though?" Nitori asked.

"Training," Aya answered, "Tenma sent a message to Keine a few hours after we were captured. He negotiated our release but ordered us to stay here and hone our skills until the Kappa arrived."

"Well, simply being here for that long seems to have made you smell like humans," Nitori said.

"We're a much better team now," Aya said about her two subordinates.

"And that strange human woman?" Nitori asked, "Keine, right? How did she allow you to stay?"

"The letter that Boss Tenma sent probably dropped hints at what the Youkai Mountain was looking to achieve back then," Aya guessed, "afterwards, Yuji, Hatate, and I helped soften the relations, and now Kakusu's going to give them all the information, or at least, as much as he'll permit to give."

"I suppose that means Keine knew about the Kappa mission beforehand?"

"Most likely."

"Hmm," Nitori wondered, "and these people already seem accustomed to us."

"That's right," Aya said to her, "we've made a lot of friends already. There's no way this alliance won't happen."

The six Youkai made it to the front of the commerce office in the town center. Almost immediately, a man emerged from the office's entrance, carrying a pen and a paper.

"You must be the Kappa," the main said.

"That's right," Nitori confirmed, flashing her best smile.

"Everything's already been arranged," the man told her, "You just have to sign this paper."

"Oh… okay." Nitori signed the paper with her name.

"Very good," the man smiled, "The Human Village is officially in a trade agreement with the Youkai Mountain."

The man walked back in the office and closed the door.

"Well, that was easy," Nitori said to the others.

"I don't think it was easy for Tenma and Shin," replied Yuji.

Keine and Shin, still in conversation, reached the administration office, which was right beside the commerce office. The Tengu and Kappa watched the two talk as they walked very slowly.

"They're both so expressionless," Nitori pointed out.

"That way, there's no way for either of them, or anyone around to tell who has the right of way in the negotiation," Aya explained, "Poker faces aren't just for Poker, Nitori."

"What's Poker?" asked a clueless Hotaru.

"Nevermind," Aya finished.

A few seconds later, a man's shout was heard on the road where the Youkai had come through.

"Help!" was the cry of the man's shout. To Nitori it sounded like a young man. It was. He burst through the crowd and into the town center, running. He wore some ragged winter clothes under a hunter's jacket that was ravaged as well. He was also carrying a bolt-action rifle, Nitori saw; she had heard Kuro talking about them and how they were superior to the Kappa's old rifles. Part of his face was blackened. Nitori observed that it was just gunpowder and dirt.

"Keine!" the man called desperately, "It's me! Kou! Kou Suzuki!"

Keine stopped and turned around. She quickly walked over to Kou after seeing him in his state.

"Yes," she said to him, "I remember you: you're one of the rebels who came to Mayoiga! Kou? What happened to you?"

Kou was panting. As he caught his breath, the number of bystanders increased. Everyone went silent and waited for what he was going to say.

"Mayoiga…" he started, "The Imperial Japanese Army is assaulting Mayoiga!"

Shin Kakusu walked over to Kou.

"What's the situation? Will the rebels hold the town?" Shin questioned.

Kou just shook his head, and fell to the ground. He was too tired to answer.

"Cannons… Guns… No match..." he managed to say before passing out.

Keine checked on him. He was just asleep.

Kakusu's face turned from worried to indignant. He turned to the six Youkai and started walking to them.

"Shameimaru, Himekaidou, Yukimoto!" he called.

The three Crow Tengu advanced and faced Shin Kakusu in a line, standing straight.

"I'm giving you three a chance to redeem yourselves from you last, disastrous, fiasco of a mission," Shin told them.

"What's our mission now, boss?" Aya asked.

Shin smiled.

"You're going to Mayoiga."


	9. Assault on Mayoiga

13 November, 1884, Meiji 17. Outside Mayoiga Town, Mayoiga Pass, Yatsugatake Mountains

Hayato was woken by the sound of the mountain guns opening fire on the town. It was a cold morning. Yesterday, Colonel Saito had ordered a non-stop bombardment of the town before most of the ammunition had arrived. In the middle of the night, they had fired off all their shells and Hayato took the opportunity to get some sleep. Now the bombardment started again, meaning the rest of the regimental artillery companies had probably just arrived.

No one had noticed he was awake, it seemed. Hayato closed his eyes again to rest for a few more minutes. It felt like less than two seconds before he was nudged.

"Wake up," called a voice. Then Hayato was being shaken awake. It was Captain Onozawa.

"I'm up, I'm up," Hayato mumbled.

"Had a good sleep?" Onozawa asked.

"It was good enough," Hayato replied, getting to his feet.

"Good," said Onozawa, "the Colonel is still with the artillery. He told me to get you."

"Can I at least get some breakfast first?"

"You will. Just start walking."

The artillery fire was maddeningly loud. The mountains amplified their noise even more. Hayato recognized the sounds of the 75mm mountain guns, several Japanese-built brass mountain guns, as well as American Krupp guns. He heard the lighter 42mm Hotchkiss mountain guns spitting their shells as well.

Hayato followed Onozawa through the camp, which was strung out through the wider areas in the pass. Smaller calibre rounds were beginning to be fired rapidly; Hayato heard sustained fire, most likely from Gatling guns, as well as strange rapid burst fire.

The two reached the command post of Colonel Saito, which was in view of the town of Mayoiga. Hayato noticed five 75mm guns and six 42mm Hotchkiss guns farthest from the town, and closer, placed on the area right before the path narrows, one Gatling gun, and two strange five-barrelled weapons, mounted on carriages, firing rifle-calibre rounds in bursts with the pull of a lever. Behind the artillery, riflemen were beginning to gather, all dressed in winter uniforms, and with bayonets fixed on their Murata rifles. Some watched the bombardment eagerly, while others sat down and rested or ate breakfast.

"What the hell are those?" Hayato asked Onozawa, when the former saw the five-barrelled guns.

"Hahaha. Those are Nordenfelt guns, First Lieutenant," replied Onozawa, "Took a few units from the navy and put them on carriages. They're a lot lighter than those damn Gatling Guns."

Saito was standing on a flat stone, wearing a grey winter overcoat that covered his dark blue army officer's uniform, while viewing the town through binoculars. He lowered them and turned to Onozawa and Hayato. The two saluted Saito.

"Shall we have some breakfast?" He asked briskly.

"Yes, please. Thank you, sir," Hayato answered. He knew that Colonel Saito did not get any sleep last night, yet he looked as if he had rested a whole day. He was active and did not look tired at all.

The three began eating a simple meal of fish and rice, when another lieutenant arrived, panting and sweating. He was young, but a little older than Hayato. It was Lieutenant Itsuki.

"Have a seat, lieutenant," Colonel Saito said to him, "Where's Captain Akera?"

"He told me to go ahead and report in for him," Itsuki answered, "His horse had an accident on the way."

"Didn't the sappers say they've sorted out the pass yesterday?" Onozawa asked.

"They did, sir," replied Itsuki," But the Captain was clumsy and wasn't looking where he was going?"

"Is he alright?" Saito asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Good, then," Saito finished, "Have some breakfast; regain you're strength. You'll need it."

After a few minutes, Akera stumbled onto the assembly zone, and promptly saluted Colonel Saito.

"So, now that we're all here, what's the assault plan, Colonel?" asked Onozawa. Saito nodded and ordered the artillery fire reduced to the 42mm guns only so he could brief the officers clearly.

"Look at that town, Onozawa; there's only one assault plan for a swift victory."

Hayato, Akera, and Itsuki gulped. Onozawa nodded passively.

"Akera's 2nd Company will go first," Saito started, looking at Akera and Itsuki, "At the whistle, you will storm the town with all haste. You will very likely take losses while crossing the open path to the town. Expect resistance to stiffen the deeper you enter the town.

He paused. Akera and Itsuki nodded; they comprehended their orders. They were simple so far. Saito then continued, with the four other officers listening intently.

"When you can no longer advance, fire a red flare and withdraw back to the edge of the town. The artillery will fire a short but concentrated bombardment at the flare's immediate location. While this bombardment is happening, Onozawa's 1st Company will advance and link up with 2nd Company."

Saito then turned to Onozawa and Hayato, and both nodded. Colonel Saito continued.

"As soon as the bombardment ceases, both companies are to attack. As this 2nd phase commences, I will get 3rd Company assembled as quickly as possible in case the combined attack still cannot take the town. And I do hope we don't need to deploy the 3rd."

The two captains and two lieutenants nodded their acknowledgement of their orders.

"One more thing," Saito added, "Akera, if you feel the need to keep the momentum of the assault, shoot up a grey flare and we will whistle 1st Company to attack without the artillery barrage."

"Sir," Akera addressed, "How much longer until the assault begins?"

Saito nodded and scanned the town with his binoculars again. Hayato saw a scowl grow on Saito's face. He guessed that the bombardment didn't do as much damage as the colonel hoped.

Colonel Saito lowered the goggles and sighed. He turned to his subordinate officers.

"We can start now."

Hayato wondered if he really meant that. It was clear that Saito thought it wasn't the best time for an assault yet.

Saito cleared his throat. "Akera, Itsuki: get your men ready. I'll order another 5-minute bombardment; as soon as that ends, begin the assault."

He was serious. Akera and Itsuki saluted the colonel and moved to assemble their men. 2nd Company was already gathered near the artillery. Captain Akera ordered all his men to fix bayonets. Onozawa whispered something to Itsuki before he rejoined Akera. Itsuki nodded. Onozawa then approached Hayato.

"I'm going to ready 1st Company," Onozawa told him, "You stay here with the Colonel and observe 2nd Company's assault. We'll learn from their mistakes."

"Yes, captain," Hayato responded as he walked away.

Saito ordered the artillery to resume bombardment. The guns opened up again in a brilliant and loud symphony of booming artillery. Most of it was arcing over the thick stone wall that lay in front of the village by the cliffs. Hayato viewed the wall with binoculars and saw that it was short enough for men behind to peek and shoot from but still difficult for attackers to scale.

Hayato lowered his binoculars to see that Saito had stepped down to rouse the soldiers for the assault. Saito was shouting, but Hayato failed to understand what he was saying over the blasting of the artillery guns. By the end of it, the men of the 2nd company cheered and Saito ordered the bombardment to halt.

"For the Emperor!" they cheered. Captain Akera and Lieutenant Itsuki drew their sabres. Akera held a revolver on his other hand, while Itsuki had his whistle ready.

As Saito walked back up to Hayato, a thought hit the latter.

"Colonel," Hayato called, "Shouldn't we have stopped the bombardment at the moment 2nd company charges?"

Saito looked back and saw movement in the town. Then Lieutenant Itsuki blew the whistle.

"Attack!" ordered the Captain. Cheers and shouts rang out from the 2nd Company as they charged up the road to Mayoiga.

Hayato and Saito quickly peered through their binoculars to observe.

Halfway across the exposed road, the first gunshots rang out. Rebels appeared from behind the stone wall and in the ruins of the buildings along the edge of the town and fired rifles down on the Imperial soldiers. The attack was halted almost immediately, with the Imperial soldiers in the front of the advance being mowed down by the rifle fire. 2nd Company was bogged down, exposed, and unable to effectively return fire from the lower ground.

"Sir," Hayato said to Saito, "shouldn't we withdraw them?"

"Not yet," was Saito's reply.

Two minutes passed and most of the 2nd Company was now lying prone on the ground or crouching, desperately trying to avoid fire, while shooting back to little effect at the well-protected rebels. If this kept up, it would end in a massacre, Hayato thought.

Onozawa and 1st company had already assembled and quickly moved to their positions, ready to assault, and watched gravely as the carnage unfolded in front of them.

Hayato saw through the binoculars that many men who were lying on the ground were wounded. He then heard what seemed like a whistle. Several soldiers from the company's rear moved up to the front where most of the wounded were and took firing positions. Just then, He saw a man with a sabre running to a dead body to pick up a box. It was Lieutenant Itsuki. He blew the whistle again and shouted at the men.

To Hayato and Saito's amazement, 2nd Company, or at least the members of it that could still stand, stood up and started running again. Even more soldiers fell this time, but now they were stopped at the entrance to the town, where there was at least some cover. A few soldiers moved up and threw hand grenades into the buildings at the entrance of the town. They exploded, clearing them for Imperial soldiers to take cover in.

Itsuki ran forward into the town, dropping his sabre and pointing the flare gun up to the sky, followed by several soldiers. Itsuki, still running, was hit by a bullet in the shoulder and disappeared behind some buildings, with gunshots all around the town being heard.

A few seconds passed and inside the town a red flare shot up into the sky.

"Colonel!" Hayato called again, "Red flare!"

Onozawa and Hayato, along with 1st Company, would reinforce 2nd company under cover of an artillery barrage.

"They aren't retreating, Colonel Saito!" Hayato shouted to Saito.

"That doesn't matter, First Lieutenant," Saito replied, before making a gesture to the artillery officers.

They readied their guns to fire again. Hayato took a look at the town again. Itsuki ran as far into the town as he could so his men wouldn't have to fall back from the artillery barrage. Hayato then turned his attention to the stone wall. Men were still firing from behind it. The artillery won't be able to take them out. The wall looked too thick for a short bombardment to destroy. And then he looked at the ground below the wall.

"Colonel, sir," Hayato said to Saito, "Fire some artillery at the mountainside below the walls."

Saito raised his binoculars and looked to where Hayato directed him. The ground directly below the walls was not entirely supported, but extended slightly over.

"Good eye, Hayato," Saito told him, "Now get back to Onozawa and reinforce 2nd Company. It's time to win this battle."

"Sir!" Hayato saluted.

Hayato took out his whistle and stood beside Captain Onozawa. "Ready, boys?!" Onozawa growled.

"Fire!" howled the artillery officers. All the guns began firing again, but several were aiming lower, to the point designated by Hayato.

"This is it!" Onozawa shouted again, drawing his katana. "Ready!" he called, raising his katana with his right hand.

"Advance!" he shouted. Hayato blew his whistle hard, and 1st Company started running up the road. The gunfire was heavy and seemed to be coming from everywhere; from rebels on the walls, and soldiers blindly firing their rifles as they ran.

"Heads down! Keep your heads down!" barked a sergeant to the soldiers. The artillery was hitting the town, and the fire from the rebels lessened as some took cover, but many were still firing on the company.

Hayato saw a few men in front of him go down. He could smell the blood and the smoke around him. It felt worse than at Chichibu and the skirmish while ascending the pass. Here, he was in the thick of battle, with more smoke, more noise, and more guns bearing down on him and the soldiers. He had to watch his step while running, stepping over dead and wounded soldiers, the number of which increased the closer he got to the town. It seemed unreal. He found himself thinking: how was he still alive?

His attention dropped for a second and he tripped over a body, landing on his side. He looked at the body and saw that it was Captain Akera, shot dead, right in the heart. His sabre was still in his hand. Whoever killed him must've been one hell of a crack shot or just extremely lucky, Hayato wondered, though he was terrified. He turned his head and looked at the village. They were close now. The two companies must have merged by now, under the command of Onozawa.

"Morichika!" he heard someone call. "Damn it, Lieutenant Morichika Hayato! Get up!"

It was Captain Onozawa. He pulled Hayato up and dragged him behind a small mound of earth.

"Are you hit?" the Captain asked.

"No, sir," Hayato stuttered to him.

"Then get on your feet! We have a battle to win here!"

Hayato noticed several grenadiers lying prone close to the walls, grenades at the ready. The ground under the walls was going to collapse from the artillery bombardment… and onto the road. Onozawa saw this and had readied his men to storm through the gap.

Hayato then realized that he hadn't even drawn his sabre. It was still in its scabbard. His pistol was still in its holster as well.

The next artillery barrage landed and the ground below the stone wall began to shift.

"Steady boys!" Onozawa called out.

A final artillery shell triggered a landslide and the ground below a portion of the wall became so unstable that they fell down as well, taking a whole section of stone wall down with it. There was now a gaping opening into the town where the wall used to be, and a mound of earth to climb it with.

"Now! Charge!" shouted Onozawa, breaking cover and running at the breach with both hands clenching his Katana.

"Charge! Banzai!" called several sergeants. The grenadiers ran up first and tossed around ten grenades into the gap. The grenades exploded and Hayato heard several screams of death and pain from behind and the soldiers stormed into the town, bayonets ready.

Hayato followed them in, Sabre in right hand, revolver in the other. He heard a quick exchange of gunfire between Imperial Murata Rifles and Rebel breech-loaders before shouts and clanging of metal. He ran through the smoke and joined the frantic melee.

The Imperial Army soldiers outgunned, outmatched, and outnumbered the hapless and demoralized rebels in combat, now that their previously overwhelming height and defense advantage had been neutralized.

Hayato led several men into a building, kicking open the door and finding a number of rebels hiding inside. The rebels were surprised. Hayato fired several shots from his revolver, while they were struggling to pick up their weapons, killing one as another drew a knife and lunged at Hayato, who quickly dispatched the rebel, taking a step back and using the reach advantage of his sabre to slash at the chest of the rebel as he moved forward to attack again. Two imperial soldiers entered the room and fired their rifles as this was happening, killing a rebel who was picking up a sword, and finished off the last rebel, who was wounded on the floor, with their bayonets. Hayato sighed and took a deep breath.

"Sir," one of the sergeants reported to Hayato, "Captain Onozawa is ordering you to return to the town's center."

Hayato nodded. "Sergeant," he called, pointing at the men he killed, "Does this get easier? The killing?" Hayato still felt wretchedly uncomfortable when he killed a man face-to-face. This was only the second time he did, after all.

"It does, sir," replied the sergeant, "I don't see how we can keep fighting otherwise."

They cleared the building and moved to the center of the town, where Onozawa was directing the rifle fire of several squads. There were several wounded men being cared for by medics near Onozawa, and Lieutenant Itsuki was among them.

"There you are, First Lieutenant," Onozawa said to Hayato, "We've got them on the run, but they're cornered. They're withdrawing to the upper parts of the town, and we've cut off the main road to Gensokyo. They'll surrender or be annihilated soon enough."

At that moment, Onozawa ordered the soldiers to hold fire. There was no return fire from the rebels. The town center was secure.

Onozawa called one of the company's sergeants to take command of the town center while he and Hayato would lead the final assault.

"Do we have a headcount on our casualties?" Hayato asked.

"We still have around half of 2nd Company's fighting strength; that's around 130 men. The rest are wounded or killed, mostly wounded. As for us, 1st Company still has around 200 or more in fighting condition. The rebels just dropped like flies as soon as we entered the town."

"What about civilians?"

Onozawa shook his head. "It's difficult to make them out among the rebels, especially the men, but the women and children we find that are not dead yet, we spare and take care of them."

Hayato let out a sigh of relief. He recalled Saito telling a rebel he would massacre everyone in Mayoiga. He wondered why Saito said that if he wasn't really going to do it.

"Sergeant Major," Onozawa ordered the sergeant in command, "What's left of 2nd Company's 1st and 2nd platoons will merge and join you here with our 1st platoon. I'll take the rest of 2nd Company, plus 2nd and 3rd platoons of 1st Company to finish the assault. Contact our 4th platoon and tell them their orders to hold the Gensokyo road entrance to Mayoiga are to stand until ordered otherwise."

The sergeant major saluted briskly and began organizing the men in the town center.

"And get those damn fires under control! We want to capture the village, not torch it!" Onozawa added as he motioned Hayato to follow him.

"Form up, men! One last push!" Onozawa roared, rallying the men.

The remaining rebels had fallen back to the edge of town, and had their backs against the mountain. The town was not entirely flat, however, but angled. The town center, main road, and the stone wall by the steep edge of the plateau were on flat ground and were referred to as "Lower Mayoiga". The streets that branched from the main road were slanted, going up as the plateau merged with the mountains beside it; this was "Upper Mayoiga," where the rebels had fallen back to. With the town's layout, one could view much of the town from afar. Unfortunately for the rebels, this also meant that the town's structures were easier targets for the Imperial Army's artillery.

"It looks like a hard fight, sir," Hayato addressed.

"No," Onozawa disagreed, "They're low on ammunition; their ammo stores were captured by Itsuki's men."

Hayato nodded. Without sufficient ammunition, the remaining rebels wouldn't last long. Onozawa continued explaining the assault plan to his men. Hayato's mind drifted away and the sound of battle and Onozawa's talking left him for a moment. He became fixated on the fires and the smoke, and the dead bodies. This was only a prelude to the extermination of Gensokyo.

From the smoke, Hayato thought he saw a ghost; something was moving. A white object came through the smoke and Hayato's vision cleared. It was a white flag, carried by a frail old man.

"Captain!" Hayato called, interrupting Onozawa's speech.

"What is it?!" Onozawa boomed, "It's not good to interrupt a man's speech."

"They're surrendering, sir," Hayato pointed out, gesturing to the old man with the flag.

"Are they, now?" Onozawa said, turning to the old man.

Behind him several more rebels followed, with arms above their heads.

"Watch those men closely," Hayato cautioned the soldiers, as he and Onozawa met face-to-face with the old man.

"You're their leader?" Onozawa asked with disbelief. He was old and frail; the man probably couldn't hold a rifle, let alone fire one.

"No," the old man answered, "the leaders are all dead, but I am the elder in this village and the village respects my decisions."

"Very well," Onozawa responded slowly, watching the surrendered rebels. Hayato saw fear and defeat in their faces; if they were going to try something stupid, they were very good at hiding it.

"How long were you rebels hoping to hold out here, anyway?" Onozawa continued.

"They were hoping to repel the attack and cause enough casualties to negotiate a pardon," muttered the elder, embarrassed.

"Hahaha!" Onozawa roared, "Must've been terrifying seeing us break in on the first assault!"

Hayato caught the elder whisper, "She was right," to himself in grief.

"Who is 'she,' elder?" Hayato questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I…ah," the elder stuttered, "one of the women from the village. Poor soul; she warned me about the foolishness of this, and I didn't listen."

Hayato could hear the lie in the elder's voice. "Where is this woman?" he asked.

"She…" the elder said with a pause, "she's dead. The shelling from your artillery… it… it collapsed her home on top of her."

Hayato nodded in acceptance, though he knew the elder was blatantly lying about this woman. Someone had warned him of the danger of siding with the rebels; someone important, to make the elder so distressed that he slipped his secret. Someone wanted to protect Mayoiga from Imperial incursion. It's very likely that this woman may have come up from the Gensokyo road. But he let the old man tell his lie. It was too risky to take action against him now. Not with so many watching. He didn't want any more unnecessary bloodshed.

"Alright. I was just curious," Hayato concluded, "you were surrendering, then?"

Despite the constant bombardment, much of Mayoiga was intact. Most of the shells hit lower-Mayoiga and only a few buildings on the upper streets were damaged or destroyed. The surrendered rebels were brought back down the mountain and turned over to Major Harada's forces in Chichibu.

Two hours had passed since the battle's conclusion, and Saito and the rest of the officers were moving to settle at a two-story tavern near the top of upper-Mayoiga. The other, larger tavern was in lower-Mayoiga and was completely destroyed.

Saito, Hayato, and Onozawa were walking along the main road, inspecting the lower part of the town. Saito had congratulated the two for leading the assault, and told Onozawa that soon enough, he'd be promoted to Major.

"That was a damn heroic assault, both of you. Everyone did their part," Saito cheered, "That's why you're my 1st Battalion officers!"

"First Lieutenant Itsuki rallied his men and pressed onward despite losing their captain," Saito continued, "Morichika here spotted a weakness in their defense that the artillery was able to exploit, and Onozawa, you dealt the killing blow in leading the final assault."

"Haha," Onozawa laughed, "my pleasure, sir."

"Thank you, sir," Hayato expressed.

There were many dead bodies along the road. Most of the rebel dead were piled up and burned, after attempting to identify them. To help atone for collateral damage to the civilians, Saito ordered the soldiers to aid by giving proper burials to the civilian dead. Imperial Army dead were being lined up, covered, identified, and readied for their trips home, where they would be buried by their families.

The three spotted Itsuki standing over a soldier's body. It was Captain Akera.

"Poor soul," Hayato commented, "I saw his body when I was running to the town. The rebel that got him must've been a damn good shot."

Itsuki smiled. "I don't think so," he replied, "but you're right; that was a good shot."

Hayato didn't take his meaning. Saito grunted and ordered a soldier to cover the body.

"Let's get going to the tavern; we have things to discuss," ordered Saito.

There were several civilians walking through the town; some of them helping fix the mess, and others just looking around their devastated town. Most of them looked shocked and miserable. Mothers, children and babies were crying. But it was better than the annihilation of the entire town.

Saito and Onozawa began conversing about something. He and Lieutenant Itsuki were just walking behind them, looking around.

Overhearing the conversation, Hayato heard, "If he sends us more artillery," Onozawa said to Saito, "I'd say we could just bombard the valley into oblivion."

"It's never that simple," Saito replied.

Hayato's attention wandered again, as a tall young lady, with brown hair tied in a ponytail, and brown eyes, wearing a simple winter coat, passed rather closely to them from one of the alleys. Hayato caught her eye as she smiled while they passed each other.

Before following the group into the alley, Hayato turned around. The girl was gone; she disappeared into the crowd. Hayato turned back and walked back to Saito, Onozawa, and Itsuki.

"Something wrong?" Itsuki whispered to Hayato as he caught up to the group.

"Do you feel that?" Hayato asked Itsuki.

"You mean do I feel like we're being tailed?" Itsuki confirmed, "Yeah, I feel it too."

They exited the alley, turned to one of the wider angled streets of the upper town, and walked uphill going to the tavern.

"Do we tell them?" Hayato whispered to Itsuki.

"They probably know already," was his reply.

Hayato felt anxious walking up the road. He could feel eyes on him. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

They approached the tavern as a woman ran out of the door. She appeared drunk and was speaking rather loudly.

"Women," Onozawa commented, shaking his head.

"Let's get inside," Saito instructed, "We still have some things to discuss."

The four officers went into the tavern, which had been converted into an officer's quarters. Saito's quarters were in the largest room on the second floor. They closed the door of Saito's room and gathered around the table.

Saito started, "How many do you think there were?"

"Sir," Hayato replied, "Do you mean—"

"How many Youkai?" Onozawa interrupted.

"At least two, maybe three or four," Hayato guessed, putting his left hand on his forehead. "I first felt uneasy before we turned into the alley," he continued, "I caught a young woman eyeing our group as we were headed toward the alley. I made eye contact, and she just smiled before turning and walking away, but there was something a little artificial about it."

"You sure you didn't just see a girl you fancy?" Onozawa argued.

"No, I think he's right," Saito affirmed, "I felt something there as well. Do you remember how she looked like, Lieutenant?"

"It's no use, sir," Hayato said, scratching his head, "I only remember her eyes were brown, and her hair too, I think. It doesn't really narrow our list of suspects."

Saito nodded, then turned to Itsuki, "But you saw the other one, right Itsuki?" he asked.

"You mean the one that came out of the bar?" Itsuki confirmed, "Yeah, I remember."

"Gather some soldiers, and catch her," ordered Saito.

Itsuki stood up and saluted, "Yes, sir!"

"Before you go," Saito said to him, "take this."

Saito handed him a captain's stars. "You earned this, Captain Itsuki. Go."

"Thank you, sir!" Itsuki barked, before rushing out of the room.

"So, that was an exit wound on Captain Akera's chest," Hayato said, shifting his left hand to his chin and rubbing it. Onozawa and Saito looked at each other before turning to Hayato.

"What do you mean?" Onozawa then asked.

"You had Itsuki's captain stars ready for today," Hayato explained, "but Captain Akera was still alive earlier today. So, either you knew he was going to be killed, or you had a promotion ready for him as well."

"Understand this, Hayato: we're up against the Youkai now, and I need my best officers commanding my First Battalion, Kujotai officers to be precise. Akera is not a member of our Youkai extermination division, nor is he a competent commander."

"I understand completely, Colonel," Hayato replied, smiling, "we don't 'exist', right? A stray rebel bullet killed Captain Akera as he turned around to rally his men, correct? I was just wondering what our explanation would be."

"That's right," Saito answered, "and as for the explanation: we don't exist. There's no need to explain."

Onozawa chuckled. "Now what we need to do is catch those Youkai spies and make sure they don't tell their leaders that we're coming for them," he insisted. Saito nodded in approval.

"But captain," Hayato argued, "we had the Gensokyo road put under guard while assaulting the city."

"Hmm. You're right," Onozawa agreed, "so the spies were in the town before the assault began. That means—"

"They had spies stationed here even before we arrived," Saito interrupted.

Hayato then added, "Another possibility would be that they were sent from Gensokyo to investigate. They may have heard the bombardment."

"If Colonel Saito's guess is right," Onozawa said, worriedly "then the Youkai would've sent a messenger down the pass before the assault, and if you're right, Lieutenant…"

"Either way, they know we're out here," Hayato acknowledged, "but what's more concerning is that despite all the officers in the town, the spies seemed to be tailing the four of us while we were walking. They could've asked any of the unsuspecting troopers, or even one of us, what was going on, and we'd answer them, but they didn't. Besides knowing that we're already here, it was almost like….like…"

Saito frowned, and finished Hayato's statement:

"Like they already knew we were coming for them."


	10. The Tengu Information Corps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music:  
> https://youtu.be/L0g-fvw4xzg (1st horizontal line, stop 2nd horizontal line)  
> https://youtu.be/B7KU-Chb3E4 (3rd horizontal line, near end of chapter)

Noon, the town of Mayoiga. The Imperial Japanese Army has successfully assaulted and seized the town. Occupation began immediately; patrols and sentries were quickly organized by the Imperial forces. In the chaos of the battle, however, three strangers quietly slipped in from the Gensokyo road before the town's defences were breached…

* * *

Aya washed her face with cold water. She felt a little strange as she ran out of the tavern, feigning drunkenness, as if she were being watched. Of course she was being watched, she thought, but this was different. She'd never felt more scared in her life.

She heard the sound of a crow cawing from a nearby alley. No one was nearby. Aya walked to the alley and imitated a crow caw. Yuji quietly emerged from the alley.

"Well?" he asked Aya, handing over her bag. Aya slung the bag over her shoulder.

"We can't get in that tavern, that's for sure," she told him, "and we can't climb it, either; we'll be seen with all those guards around. How about you?"

"I managed the rooftops rather well," Yuji reported, "almost no one is watching them, and with the buildings so closely packed, it's easy to move around the town from up there, just as long as you keep a relatively low profile and stay alert for threats. It's easy to spot someone running across rooftops, but hey, we're on a mountain; how many people here are going to look up?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Aya told him. "Where's Hatate?"

"She's probably on her way up to us."

"Let's go," Aya motioned, "we'll meet her on the way down."

Yuji nodded and wrapped his scarf around his neck, covering his mouth and nose as well. Aya put on a round winter hat as the two exited the alley and began walking down the sloped road to lower Mayoiga. The road was rather wide, and had room for a few market stalls in the middle. The stalls were empty, of course, because it was winter, when people stored their goods rather than sell them, and some were destroyed by the bombardment.

The battle had ended less than three hours ago, but the town was already coming back to life, with many people helping to clear debris, and others just talking to each other. An old man brought warm sake to a group of men cleaning up a house damaged by artillery fire. Aya noticed some of the men helping were soldiers, seeing their rifles stacked beside the house and their blue uniforms.

"Seems they're doing a good job earning the trust of the townsfolk," Yuji whispered to Aya.

"That likely means they'll be here to stay for some time," Aya whispered back.

The town seemed to become more alive as they walked down the road, with people running at each other in joy, happy to see their friends or relatives alive and well. There were also the less fortunate townspeople who were sobbing over their dead.

While walking down the sloped road, Aya and Yuji spotted Hatate talking to a pair of guards. Hatate was smiling while the two soldiers seemed to give her directions, and she laughed as she scratched her head, the two soldiers still looking at her as she walked away.

"Hatate!" Aya called out, "Did you get lost?!"

"Sorry, Aya!" Hatate apologized, embarrassed.

"Well, come on," Aya said to her, swinging her left arm to a nearby alley, directing the three towards it, "we haven't got all day!"

Hatate quickly skipped over to the two and followed them into the alley.

"You disgusting little flirt," Yuji hissed to Hatate as they walked, "you could have compromised this whole operation!"

"What?!" Hatate barked back, "I was just having some small talk, extracting information!"

"Extracting information?" Yuji repeated, "Are you serious?"

Aya, irritated, stopped, turned to both of them and finally intervened.

"Will the two of you please shut up for a moment?" she commanded, "Yuji, Hatate's right. It should be fine to interact like normal people would. If we act like they're actively hunting us, they eventually will start looking for us. Keep calm."

"Yes, Aya," Yuji acknowledged.

"And Hatate," continued Aya, "What information did you 'extract' by talking to people?"

Hatate smirked, then said, "Well, other than talk to some people, I also had a look around."

"Go on," Aya told her.

"Sentries on the rooftops around the main uphill street," Hatate said to them, "not the main road at the bottom, mind you, but we don't want to be there either; most of the soldiers are in the lower part of town."

"Also," Hatate continued, "the town's exit via the Gensokyo road is heavily guarded; they aren't even letting anyone near it."

"That's not good," Yuji said, turning to Aya, "we'll have to plan our escape carefully."

"One last thing," Hatate added, "Aya, the army is looking for a woman with your exact description…"

"Damn it!" Aya cursed, "I got too close to those men we were tailing."

"Are we sure they were the ones?" Yuji asked, "There were a lot of officer groups walking around."

"Most likely," Aya answered, "Those men had the look in their eyes." Aya turned to Hatate as she said this.

"That's right," Hatate confirmed, "You could see in their eyes, all but one of them had it, but I don't really know what it means."

"What?" Yuji asked, confused, "What look?"

"Many of the men in the Human Village had it," Aya answered, "the look of a human who survived a Youkai attack. And most times, surviving a Youkai attack means killing a Youkai."

"Where did you learn this?" Yuji questioned, with Hatate leaning forward in interest.

"You two were recruited in and brought to the field hastily, it seems," Aya remarked, looking at the two, "Usually, before being promoted to field agent, Shin requires that an Information Corps Tengu attend a special course on the human psyche and, in particular, how it reacts to varying degrees of contact with different kinds of Youkai, though it focuses mostly on Tengu."

Hatate and Yuji nodded, while Aya paused to listen and look around. She then continued.

"Most of the course is utterly useless, but some of the things learned there, you just cannot afford to forget."

"Great," Yuji expressed sarcastically, "we spent one month in that human village, so I was confident that smelling like them would be good enough; now you tell us that there are humans that can sense our kind regardless?"

"How was I supposed to know that the Imperial Army had Youkai Hunters in it?!, It didn't occur to me that there could still be men like that, much less young ones," Aya ranted to him, then mumbled to herself, "it's been over a hundred years since any major Youkai activity outside Gensokyo, unless…"

Aya stopped again. "Enough of this; we need to move," she ordered. Hatate and Yuji followed her out of the alley. They walked downhill from one of the streets, spotting a few army patrols before turning into another alley.

"We can't stay together now that they're looking for me," Aya told them, "Hatate, I need you to head to the lower part of town, by the wall, near the burned out tavern. Just wait there. We'll come for you."

"Just me?" Hatate asked, "Why me?"

"You can blend in the best," Aya said to her, "Yuji, you will tail me from a safe distance."

"Right," Yuji replied.

"Since I'm compromised, I'll learn as much more as I can before we escape," Aya decided, "I can't go back to Shin with so little to report. Let's go."

Aya started walking, and Hatate turned to go the other way.

"What if they capture you?" Yuji asked Aya, as he walked beside her, "What are we going to do? How will we escape?"

"We improvise," Aya instructed, reaching into her bag and taking out several pieces of paper, documents affiliating her to the Information Corps, giving it to Yuji, "now do what I told you and keep your distance. We're the Tengu Information Corps, and we do whatever it takes to get the information we need!"

Aya walked out of the alley, not looking back to check if Yuji was following. She trusted him enough and didn't want to compromise him as well. The town was rather busy in repair and burial work, so the streets were somewhat crowded, allowing Aya to avoid a few patrols by blending in with the townsfolk.

If she were captured, she would need what was in her bag to help her escape, so instead of giving her bag to Yuji, she only gave the documents, so the Information Corps would be safe and she could at least try to convince them that she was not a spy. Regardless of what they found out, she would need to escape.

Aya turned into another alley to avoid a rooftop sentry. She was close to the tavern now. Spotting a pair of junior officers passing by the alley, Aya moved behind them carefully. The two were lieutenants, and they were chatting about how "the Colonel was planning on moving more soldiers into the town."

That wasn't good, thought Aya. They took the town and had enough soldiers to garrison it. Why would they need more? Aya noticed a trio of soldiers walking toward the lieutenants, searching through the groups of townspeople as they moved closer. Her situation was getting dangerous, so she broke off the two officers and entered another alley, this one diagonal instead of straight, and leading into another alley.

"At the end of this one, I'll be just a few paces away from the tavern," Aya whispered to herself, "hopefully I can learn a little more."

She entered the other alley, turning to the direction of the tavern, and then she heard footsteps behind her. A single soldier had followed her, and had blocked the way she came from.

"Excuse me, ma'am," called the soldier, "I need to ask you something."

Aya had no choice but to go forward and disappear into the street beyond. She started walking at a faster pace.

"Miss! Lady!" called the soldier, "Halt!"

She reached the alley's exit.

"Thank you," she whispered to herself before turning.

"Thank who?" replied a man. Aya turned around to see a young army captain looking at her with his sword drawn. Aya noticed his eyes. There was no fooling him now.

Aya turned to run, panicking, but saw that all around her, she was surrounded by soldiers. She stopped and took a deep breath.

"We just need to ask you a few questions," said the captain, "Miss Youkai."

"Youkai? What's that supposed to—" Aya spat, before she was gagged from behind and blindfolded by the soldiers.

"Don't forget her hands, you idiots!" ordered the Captain, before the men took her arms and tied them behind her back.

"Don't worry, darling, we won't hurt you" whispered the captain to Aya, "but only if you're cooperative."

After a few seconds of walking, Aya heard a soldier call out, "Captain Itsuki! The Colonel instructed me to lead the prisoner on from here."

"Very good, sergeant," replied the captain, "I'll be right behind you."

* * *

 

Aya was shaking as they pushed her forward and tears began to swell in her eyes. She couldn't breathe properly as the panic was making her hyperventilate. She wanted to cry out but she was gagged and only desperate muffles came out of her mouth.

She had never felt like this before. What was this, Aya wondered, and then she realized: this was fear. This was what humans used to feel when they faced Youkai. 'What a poor Youkai I am,' Aya thought to herself as she began crying under her blindfold. They forced her to walk some distance. She could only hear the footsteps and muffled conversations of townspeople around her. The soldiers were silent.

After what seemed like a few minutes, the soldiers brought her into a building, and sat her down on a wooden chair, tying her hands to it.

There Aya regained her composure. She could still hear. Yuji was out there. She could still escape. She took deep breaths, trying to relax. Several minutes passed. It was dead quiet in the room. Finally, she heard muffled speech from behind the door before it opened. Three men walked in.

"Hayato, remove the blinds, then the gag," ordered one of them, in a calm middle-aged voice.

"Yes, sir," was the reply, from a much younger individual.

The soldier moved behind Aya to untie her blindfold. The two officers in front of her looked roughly the same age, though one was bigger. Both had katanas sheathed on their belts, as well as pistols that the humans called 'revolvers,' which usually fired six shots before needing to reload. The bigger one was a captain, and the other, a colonel, if Aya had remembered her Imperial Army ranks correctly. Both had the eyes of Youkai-slayers. She had to be careful. One wrong move and they could kill her.

The room she was in was large and spacious, but they sat her down on a small corner. She was in a large house, she assumed, a large, old, abandoned, house.

The man behind Aya untied her gag and Aya remained silent, only letting out a deep sigh. The man who untied her blindfold and gag didn't have the eyes of a Youkai-slayer, and was much younger, as Aya deduced, likely in his early 20s, and definitely better looking than the other two. He was a 1st Lieutenant. This was Hayato.

"Well?" the Captain asked the Colonel, "let's get started!"

"Right, then," agreed the Colonel, before asking, "Do you know where we are, miss?"

Aya didn't answer. The Colonel just nodded and continued to speak to her.

"There is a legend from the city of Tohno in Iwate Prefecture up in the North" he began, "that speaks of a strange and magical house that is said to be a door to another world. It was a rather large estate, and it is also said that travellers that got lost in the mountains would accidentally find the house, and it would bring them good fortune. That house is Mayoiga. Strange how the place actually exists, but it's so far from Tohno. The actual estate, though? There's nothing magical or strange about it, but this place leads into another world, of some sorts, am I right?"

Aya raised her eyes at his last question. He knows. He definitely knows. He's trying to test for a reaction, Aya thought. She wouldn't let him have it.

The young officer, Hayato asked the Colonel, "Where did you find this legend, sir?"

"I have a friend; his name is Kunio," answered the Colonel, "He's collecting folk legends from Tohno, and is hoping to publish the collection in the future."

"With respect, if you're done talking about folktales," the Captain interrupted, "let's get to the real thing now."

"My apologies," said the Colonel, as he turned back to Aya, "So, what brings a Youkai to the town of Mayoiga?"

"I'm no Youkai," Aya answered, "You people are crazy! You come all the way to Mayohiga to hunt fairy tales!"

The Captain slapped Aya on the cheek. There was pain, but she was a Youkai, not a human woman. Aya cleverly feigned a more human reaction.

"Caught you," the Colonel said to Aya, smirking, "Mayohiga, eh? Why do you call the town by its archaic form?"

Aya couldn't reply. She made a mistake, and now she was caught. She was faltering. She had to recover.

"That proves nothing. My family is ancient, and that's always how we've pronounced the name of our home."

"Where's your family?" asked the Lieutenant, "If this were a misunderstanding, we'll take you to them, apologize, and compensate you."

"They're…" Aya hesitated, thinking of the answer, "…all dead. You monsters killed my father in the bombardment."

"Oh, really?" asked the Colonel, "You're lying. We put out a search for you, and none of the townsfolk recognized you. Strange, right? I thought this was your home."

"I think we all know who the real 'monster' is here," the Colonel continued, drawing a knife from his pocket, "and she's going to tell us where her friends are."

Aya hissed at the Colonel, moving her arms, struggling to break free.

"Hahaha," chuckled the Captain, "What do you think, Saito?"

"Hard to tell," Colonel Saito replied. Aya now knew his name. Saito continued, "The Youkai have gotten good at concealing themselves. They've evolved to look no different than us."

"Too short to be an Oni," Hayato guessed, "What do you think Captain Onozawa?"

"Too clever to be an Oni as well," Onozawa added, "and Oni don't like sneaking around."

"Nue?" Hayato asked.

"She had a thousand opportunities to change form and escape, unless she wanted to be captured for some reason," Saito answered, "even so, Nue never move in a group, much less with other types of Youkai, and this one is definitely not alone."

Saito looked into her eyes for a few seconds and nodded.

"Tengu," he declared, "without a doubt."

Hayato started looking through Aya's bag. He couldn't find anything interesting or threatening. He took out a maple-leaf shaped fan from the bag.

"What's this?" he asked, fanning himself with it "it's too cold to use this."

"I'm prepared for all kinds of weather," Aya replied.

"We'll make this easy for you, Tengu girl," Onozawa started, taking a wooden stick from a nearby table, "You tell us where your friends are, and we'll end you quick. Make it difficult for us, and you will die a slow, painful death, by my hands, and believe me, girl, you're not the first Tengu I've killed."

Aya braced herself inside. There was going to be pain. She had to endure it until she had an opportunity to escape, which shouldn't take too long if Yuji is doing his job.

"I'm alone," Aya asserted, and she was immediately smacked in the cheek by the stick. It hurt much more than the slap, and this time the force made her head turn for real. Before she could recover, Onozawa hit her again, on the other side. Aya grunted from the pain.

"Where are your accomplices?" Saito asked calmly.

Aya answered after a few seconds, "I have no accomp—," her denial interrupted by another blow from Onozawa's stick, this time on her left arm, and then her right cheek again. Aya cringed, gnawing her teeth and tightly clasping her fists, enduring the pain.

Hayato was just watching the interrogation, holding Aya's fan and examining it.

"Where are they?!" Saito asked again, this time angrily.

"Go to Makai," Aya cursed, spitting at him.

Onozawa hit both of Aya's calves with the stick in quick succession, causing her to start crying again, but her mouth was closed, trying to endure the pain quietly. Onozawa then struck Aya's gut as hard as he could. This time, Aya cried out in pain.

Aya stopped moving. She was breathing heavily, tears flowing from her eyes. The pain was becoming too intense for her. That Onozawa was human, but he hit hard.

"Draw your sword, Hayato," Saito ordered coldly as he walked closer to Aya and leaned in to her face, putting his small knife to her bruised right cheek.

"Tell us," he said to Aya, "or I'll have to cut up your pretty face." He slowly pushed the knife's cutting edge to her skin.

"No!" Aya screamed, writhing and crying out in pain.

Saito stopped for a moment. There was an explosion.

"Where did that come from?!" Onozawa shouted as he opened the door and ran out.

Aya recollected herself during the pause. She was cut, bruised, and in pain. But she wasn't broken. She was a Crow Tengu of the Information Corps. She was trained for this. She had to hold out.

"A small bomb went off at the tavern!" reported Onozawa, as he marched back in, "It started a fire!"

"Well," Saito said, turning to Aya, "it seems we have found your friends."

"It could be a diversion," Hayato warned.

"It is," Saito said to them, "but this one here won't tell us anything, so we have no choice but to pursue. Onozawa, you and Itsuki check out the tavern."

"Yes, sir!"

"As for you, Tengu girl," Saito expressed, "I must say, I am impressed. You are stronger than I thought. Torturing you further would be a waste of time. Hayato!"

"Sir?"

"Kill her."

Aya and Hayato looked each other in the eyes. This was to be a rite of passage; his first Youkai kill. But it would be difficult for him, she could see. Aya had tears in her eyes, she was in pain, and she was breathing heavily. She wouldn't even have to pretend to be a suffering, innocent girl; the torture already made her look like one.

Hayato's sword hand was beginning to shake. He couldn't do it.

"Too pretty for you, huh?" Saito said to him coldly, "To be fair, the first Youkai I killed was uglier and angrier than you can imagine and was trying its best to kill me. Made things a lot easier."

Saito took Hayato's sword, a European style blade, and pointed it at Aya.

"Sir," Hayato suggested, "we could use her as a hostage and draw the others to her."

"I've considered that. It's too risky, and the Youkai are ruthless; they won't take the bait."

"Tengu," Saito called, "have the honour of knowing that your death marks the beginning of mankind's final march to victory against monster. You are the first to die in the extermination of Gensokyo!"

Aya looked up at him after he said this. Before he could thrust, another loud noise was heard outside, a small explosion.

* * *

 

"What was that?" shouted a soldier outside, "private, check it out!"

Saito hesitated, looking around, listening.

"What are you idiots all doing here!" shouted one of the soldiers outside, "go back to your positions around the house!"

Suddenly, glass shattered behind Saito and Hayato. A tiny ceramic ball with a lit fuse was thrown into the window.

"Grenade!" Hayato shouted, and an instant after, the grenade exploded in a small, harmless explosion, but it was so loud that Hayato and Saito covered their ears and lost their balance.

Aya jumped up, taking the chair with her and slammed it onto Saito, using the blade of the sword he was holding to cut herself free. She kicked Hayato in the shin and grabbed her fan from him, as he and Saito were regaining their composure. Aya then kicked the door open and started running, trying to get past the guards.

Saito immediately followed before she could take three steps away from the house, with Hayato right behind him.

Hearing Saito pull back the hammer of his revolver, Aya swung her right arm, with fan in hand, in a backhand swing, turning around as she did, causing the air around her to blow out as powerful wind, knocking down all the soldiers around her, including Saito and Hayato.

Aya ran as fast as she could, and was quickly followed by Yuji.

"We're at the top of the village," Yuji told her, the two still running, "You get on the rooftops! I'll be right behind you down on the streets!"

Aya nodded and ran for one of the flatter house walls on the side of the street and ran up the wall vertically with three steps, then boosting herself up to the rooftops with the wind fan.

Gunshots were fired behind her, and Aya continued running on the rooftops, the houses packed so closely together that Aya was easily able to jump from house to house, even across the alleyways. As she ran, gunshots rang from all around, and Aya could hear the bullets impacting the terra cotta and wooden roofs she was running on.

Several firecrackers were setting off around the town, no doubt set up by Yuji as he tailed Aya. In the streets below, there was chaos, with townspeople running here and there, confused and not knowing what was going on, making it more difficult for the soldiers below to move around and control the situation. There were more gunshots from the streets, and more screaming and shouting, but they didn't seem to be aimed at Aya, so she kept running.

A bullet impacted the tiled roof in front of Aya as she ran. Aya looked to her left side and saw a sentry on one of the roofs firing at her, and two more on different rooftops moving to do the same. Aya changed her direction, running to the wider road and jumping. She didn't aim for the rooftop on the other side, but instead crashed into one of the windows, and now she was running through the inside of the buildings.

Aya effortlessly maneuvered past furniture and through windows, before finally spotting a clothesline, which she used to zip herself a short distance to the roof of some downhill houses. She rolled as she landed on the rooftop, and noticed Yuji zip lining to another rooftop behind her, and as he landed, kicked off the roof a soldier that was about to shoot. Yuji then jumped down to the streets below.

Aya ran across more rooftops, until she was close to the bottom of the town. She made one more long jump, rolling as she landed, and got up to see that a soldier on a nearby rooftop was aiming at her. Aya froze in terror, but before the soldier could shoot his rifle, he was struck from the street in the neck by a throwing knife attached to a rope, and was yanked down from the roof, firing his rifle in the air. Aya climbed down the building to find Yuji dragging the body of the dead sentry into a nearby alley.

"Told you I'd be right behind you, boss," Yuji said to her.

"Let's go," Aya suggested, patting Yuji's shoulder, "they heard that shot for sure."

Aya and Yuji ran to the wall on the edge of town, where they found Hatate waiting by the burned inn.

"We can't just fly," Hatate told them, "They'll shoot us down as we ascend and accelerate."

"So, what are we going to do?" Aya asked, panting, tired from the escape.

"We jump off and fall," Hatate said to them, "We'll be at too steep an angle for them to aim at, not to mention too fast. When we're close to the bottom, we spread our wings and fly low, ascending when we're out of their range."

"Are you crazy?!" Yuji exclaimed.

"No," Hatate replied, "I've been looking down this cliff for thirty minutes, formulating the escape plan. Just wait for my signal."

"It's better than being shot down, I suppose," Aya said, "We have no other choice."

The three Tengu heard someone shout, "They're over here!"

"Alright," Hatate said to the two, "It's now or never!"

The three climbed up the wall and looked down at the drop.

"Stop!" commanded an officer behind them. The three Tengu heard more footsteps and the loading of rifles as well.

"Jump!" Aya ordered.

The three plunged down into the drop as the soldiers fired their guns, narrowly missing the Tengu. Aya could see the rocks at the bottom getting closer and closer. They were falling fast.

"Now! Fly!" Hatate called out, and in that instant, the three Tengu revealed their magically concealed wings, and spread them out, magnificent and wide black feather wings, that seemed to protrude from the hips, turning their fall into a smooth glide.

After gliding for a few seconds, the three agreed that they were out of range, and ascended. They viewed the town from afar, unafraid that all eyes could see them. Despite her ordeal, Aya flew proud and fast as any Tengu could. No Youkai could match the Crow Tengu's speed in the air. Aya wanted to remind the humans of that.

"Is it alright for them to see us like this?" Hatate asked, "What about secrecy? Wasn't that Shin's plan? To hide from them?"

"They knew about Gensokyo from the start," Aya said to the two, "We don't have to hide anymore."


End file.
